Turn of Events
by Bear5
Summary: Everyone feared him, except for one person. Not being able to resist the challenge her intelligence rained on him, Inuyasha kept her in his gang for the sake of his sanity. Kagome was just a rich girl he plucked off the street to anger Fluffy, right?
1. The Big Plan

(A/N-This is my first fan fiction! Just to let you all know, there is a lot of cursing in this story, and in some cases it gets pretty old, but I promise it's just to prove a point later on in the story, so please don't flame me about that! Thanks)

Disclaimer-sadly, I don't own Inuyasha or any of the characters -_-

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Chapter one. The big Plan

A figure dressed in all black hurried through the streets of New York City, diving in all the shadows and alleys to avoid being seen. The man carried a package for his 'boss' that needed immediate delivery, and he couldn't afford being caught with it. Not only would his entire group kill him for it, but also his girlfriend would boot his ass to LA. Personally, he wasn't looking forward to either, so he kept up his quick pace and watched his footing very carefully.

The bundle moved, and he mentally cursed himself. "I hope that Inuyasha's in a good mood tonight." The package continued to squirm until a little muffled sound could be heard. He feared it would ball it's little heart out and scream for all it was worth, and he didn't look like the fatherly figure running with his kid across New York. He had to quiet it before all hell broke loss.

Finally, before he could take it any farther, the door on the side of a large warehouse welcomed him in and he darted in with the fear of being seen. The guard that was dressed in all black leather as well at the door helped him take off his long leather coat and sighed at the sight of the bundle. His long red hair and sunglasses only shielded his obvious concern for his friend. "Shit, Miroku, you didn't!"

"I did, get over it. Where's Inuyasha?"

"Inuyasha's not in a very good mood tonight. That bastard Kouga got him started up again."

Miroku cursed under his breath. "Well, no matter Shippo, I need to see him. Where's he at?"

"He's in his office, but I'm warning you…you brought the package before Inuyasha knows what to do with it."

"Look! He knew I would do this sooner or later, but tonight the matter just sort of fell into my lap. Besides, he wanted it. And anyway, Inuyasha has to know and he has to know now."

"Well what will you do if Sango catches you with it? You know her motto; shot first and ask questions later."

Miroku sighed and shook his head carefully. "I know that Sango may eat me alive, but I'll deal with her later." He took off urgently down the hall, and Shippo shook his head and whispered to himself. "Suit yourself." Then he went back to guarding the door. 

Meanwhile, Miroku walked up the flight of stairs behind the obvious commotion's in the main room. The 'club' of people that was in the main room lounged and drank and played different assortments of games. It was their main hideout for when they didn't have a job, and it was all fun and games. But the minute that Inuyasha received word of something that he needed, or wanted, then they all beckoned to his call and did the job they were assigned to do. Of course, they always got a good profit out of it, even if Inuyasha scared them shitless.

Miroku arrived outside his office and inhaled carefully because he could hear Inuyasha yelling at someone in the room. This would not be a pleasant experience, and being one of the only people who weren't exactly scared of him, he was about to piss his pants.

Before he could knock, the door swung open and a man dressed in quite the black outfit came flying out. Skintight leather pants and a black tank top, with his long hair pulled into a ponytail and a strange headband across his forehead. He ran into the wall and leaned against it, rubbing his head and muttering obscenities. Miroku shook his head at Kouga, who had obviously pissed Inuyasha off to no end. It was then that the person in question poked his head out the door with a scowl on his face that could break mirrors. "And stay out you dirty bastard!"

Miroku cleared his throat nervously and the angry face of Inuyasha glared at him. "Damn it, Miroku, get your ass in here!" He grabbed the back of Miroku's shirt and jerked him into the office, sitting him down in the chair in front of his desk.

Inuyasha paced in front of the monk, his long black leather coat dragging on the floor behind his knee-high boots. The chains hanging off his belt made noise with every nervous step he took. His back-gloved hand grabbed his chin as he growled and scowled, his mind seeming to be on something urgent. Miroku had never seen his silver-haired friend like this before. "Inuyasha?"

"Where the fuck have you been, Miroku?"

"I…"

"You are the goddamn third in command, you have duties here, and you can't just take off like that without telling me!"

Miroku stood and handed the package to Inuyasha. He widened his eyes as he unwrapped the package, and the little baby squirmed with the now showing light. "Holy shit, Miroku, how the hell did you do it?"

"Allow me to explain. I was on my nightly stroll through the city, checking for all suitable spots to hit, when I saw that mother walking around with the brat in a stroller. Well, I couldn't relax, so I decided to save you some trouble, and when the mother went inside the store and stupidly left it outside, I dashed and grabbed it without being seen."

Inuyasha mustered up a cocky smile and Miroku sighed with relief. "Well good work, Miroku, you did something useful for once."

"You're not angry?"

"What the hell are you on? I've wanted to snatch this brat away for quite some time now, and you just made it easier on me." He held the kid in his clutches. "Wow, this certainly brightens up my day."

"What seems to be the problem?"

"A bunch of shit, but I took care of Kouga. Now you need to handle the second in command."

"What did she do now? I've only been gone an hour."

"That is certainly long enough for that crazy bitch to go completely nuts with rage. She's the only person around here that scares me when she's angry." He turned his dog-ears towards the door. "Speak of the devil. She's found out you're here."

The door burst open and an enraged woman walked in, slamming the door shut behind her. She wore a tight black tank top with leather pants and two chains hanging off each side of her hips. She wore biker's gloves on her hands, and assortments of silver jewelry on her arms. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and her ears were spiked with many different earrings. Her eyes threw daggers at both of them, and even Inuyasha tensed up. For the only woman in the gang, she was scarier than hell, and that was the reason she was second in command.

She crossed her arms and glared at Miroku. "And just WHERE have you been? And what's that!" She pointed to the baby in Inuyasha's arms.

"Sango, I was pulling a job."

"Uh huh, yea, and Inuyasha just ranted and raved about your fucking were-abouts for the past hour because he had you pull a damn job. Tell me the truth, now!"

"Alright! I just went on my usual stroll, looking for more hits! I just forgot to tell anyone where I went, all right? I swear it! The baby was just an added bonus."

She snorted. "I see, and did you touch any women?"

"No!" His instant reaction instantly pissed her off. It usually meant he was lying. 

"That's it! Inuyasha, get out of my way!" He moved his sunglasses down over his golden eyes with his trademark smirk and retreated to his desk, setting the sleeping baby down in a basket so that he could watch the show.

Sango cracked her knuckles rather loudly. "You have two seconds, Hentai."

"Sango, please, I can explain…uh…sweetie?"

"Don't sweetie me! You were out groping women!" She balled up her fist and smashed it into his cheek, watching him fall to the floor. Inuyasha was chuckling in his seat while he watched Sango basically straddle Miroku and strangle him, while his hands tried to pry hers off and his voice pleading for her mercy. Inuyasha remembered the reason that Sango had gotten into the gang; she was the only person who nearly took out Inuyasha with just a punch.

Inuyasha continued to laugh until his cell phone rang, and instantly the two on the floor stopped moving so they could listen. Inuyasha groaned because of the interruption and reached into his inner coat pocket, pulling out the ringing phone and popping it open. "Yea, what is it?" He asked harshly.

He listened for a few moments as Sango quietly helped Miroku to his feet, both of them walking over to the desk and leaning on it to hear. Inuyasha instantly sat forward and put his hand on the desk in a state of shock. "No fucking way! No goddamn way!"

Sango and Miroku couldn't decide if this was a good thing or a bad thing because Inuyasha had never acted this way before. He stood up and jerked the sunglasses off his face to put them up by his dog-ears, leaning on the desk as if supporting himself. "You are bullshitting me, tell me the truth!"

He listened for a second and then scowled. Definitely a bad reaction. "Son of a bitch, it's too soon! Ugh! You just better call me with an update." Then he slammed his phone shut and stared at the eyes that were just inches away because they wanted to hear. 

He jumped back and scowled. Miroku stared at him carefully. "Inuyasha, what is it?"

Inuyasha seemed to be deep in thought as he pulled his sunglasses back over his eyes. "Get ready, you two, we are officially at war with Sesshomaru."

*~*~*^_^*~*~*

"Hello, young lady, so nice to meet you. You are a few months early but that's perfectly alright." The mayor of New York City shook the hand of the richest girl in the state while she stood in front of her father.

Kagome Higurashi smiled a fake but convincing smile and shook hands with him. "So nice to meet you, sir."

"Such a well behaved young woman!" Chimed the mayor cheerfully. Kagome snarled in her mind. _I hate meeting with all these other rich people…I want adventure, damn it!_

"Please, come right this way and I will escort you to your office." The mayor walked down a hallway and Kagome followed suit, hoping to just get in, get out, and get on with her life.

Moving to this town had been the down point of her life. She hated ordering her servants around to pack her clothes just right, but most of all, she hated change. She almost yearned for a non-rich life so that it wouldn't be so dull and boring. There was almost no excitement at all in being rich. Everyone did everything for her, she didn't have to work hard to get what she wanted, and she always had to go to her fathers meetings because just being there meant something to him and she had to meet the boneheads that made up the entire entrepreneur circuit in the state. _I'm too damn nice._ She thought.

He opened the doors to a beautiful office, and with as much money as their family had, she didn't expect any less. A large desk sat in the middle of the room with a laptop and huge office chair, and a couch on the other side for other people. She widened her eyes. _Well, this is a little more exciting then what I'm used to. I guess this won't be so bad._

The mayor held out his hand and she shook it again, more out of politeness than anything. "You have your own personal assistant outside your office, Miss. Higurashi. She can make appointments for you, as well, because as the lawyer of our company you have to talk to a lot of different people. If you need anything, just ring me in my office and I'll help you out."

Kagome smiled brightly at the man with her biggest professional smile. She could fake her way into hell. "Thank you sir, I'll remember that."

"I'm sure that your new degree will come in great handy. Your family must be very proud that their own twenty-one year old daughter has so much experience." Then he turned and walked out the door, all smiles like a happy mayor should be.

Kagome finally wiped the smile off her face and scowled aloud, burying her hands in her hair. "Fuck, this is going to be interesting."

She sat down at her computer to work out her own little schedule, adjusting her uncomfortable skirt as she wiggled in the chair. She had no idea what kind of excitement she was actually creating.

*~*~*^_^*~*~* 

Sango and Miroku entered the new building, wearing some interesting black dress clothes that they didn't think they'd ever be forced to wear. They were posing as husband and wife, with their arms interlocked and smiles on their faces as they walked into the building. They, of course, were very good actors, and probably had everyone convinced.

Miroku whispered in her ear before they entered the building. "Are you sure we can pull this off?"

"We have no choice, it's Inuyasha's orders. We know better than to argue with him where Sesshomaru's concerned."

Miroku nodded and put a bright smile on his face as they entered the building and got directions to their destination. They climbed into the elevator and took it to the thirteenth floor. Sango adjusted Miroku's outfit and smiled because of the camera's that could be on board. "Remember our rules."

"I will, don't worry."

They exited the elevator and approached the desk with a strange secretary. "Excuse me, ma'am?" Sango asked politely. 

"Yes, how may I help you?"

"Is Kagome Higurashi busy at the moment?"

"I don't think so, would you like to go in?"

"Yes, if you don't mind. We have something we would like to discuss with her."

"Hold on, I'll see if she's busy." She pushed the button on her phone and Kagome's voice came over the phone. "Yes?"

"You have a few people who wish to speak to you, are you busy?"

"Uhh…no, go ahead and send them in."

"Yes, ma'am."

"And Wanda?"

"Yes?"

"I'd like a coffee with two spoonfuls of sugar, and make it extra hot. On the double, please."

"Yes ma'am." Wanda said miserably, as if she didn't have any hope left in the world. She pointed towards the door as she sat down in her chair. "You shall find her in there."

With a nod of thanks, Miroku and Sango slowly headed on their way. Out of earshot of the secretary, Miroku whispered to her. "She certainly gets things the way she wants."

"Of course she does! She's the richest woman in the state at the moment."

They entered her office after they received permission and were met by Kagome, standing with her fake smile and shaking hands professionally. "I'm Kagome Higurashi."

"I'm Sango, and this is my husband Miroku."

"Nice to meet you." She said cheerfully as she released their hands and escorted them to the couch. "Please be seated." 

Sango had to smile a smile that didn't reach her eyes. Kagome had turned around and she had to squeeze Miroku's arm tightly when he seemed to think about touching her ass. They sat down on the couch in unison and Kagome sat in her chair across from them, hands clasped together over her notebooks. She seemed to observe her guests politely, but she somehow got the feeling that they weren't who they were pretending to be. _Damn instincts…Remember, all smiles! _"So, what has brought the two of you to my office today?"

Miroku sat forward, leaning his elbows on his knees. "Well, I understand that you are new in the city, Miss. Higurashi. My wife and I take care of major matters involving the law between companies. We have to know everything about the lawyers in the companies, and we came to find out a little about you."

Kagome thought deeply about it and sighed, shrugging to give her answer. "Ok, what would you like to know?"

"Everything about what you like to do in your free time, how you usually live your day, what your interests are, etc. It may seem like worthless information, but it's very important and turns out to be quite useful at times."

"Alright…" Kagome continued to tell them about her schedule during the day, what her favorite foods are, the fact that she was twenty-one, and she even told them about how she sometimes was completely bored with everything in her life. She continued to mess with the hem of her short dress that went to about mid-thigh because she was strangely comfortable around these people.

These people, who she somehow knew, were fake.

After she finished, she shrugged sloppily. "I think that that's about it. Anything else?"

"Uh, actually, do you have a cell phone number that we can contact you at in case something important happens?"

"Sure." She handed them a business card and smiled. "I have it on all the time if you need anything."

Miroku stood and smiled graciously, resisting the urge to bow to her sarcastically like a queen. "Thank you very much, Miss. Higurashi."

"Please, call me Kagome. Miss. Higurashi makes me sound old and boring."

Sango smiled and shook her hands again. "It was really nice to meet you."

"Same here."

"We'll be on our way. Thank you for everything." Then they turned and walked out of her office, shutting the door behind them. After they had left the building, Miroku sighed and reached into his coat pocket, turning off the tape recorder that had been recording the whole time as they stood in the alley. "I hope all this information will help with Inuyasha. Is it me, or did she seem uneasy?"

"She's a rich person, they are always uneasy no matter what. How long do you think it will take Inuyasha to take action?"

"Not long. Remember, he said we were at war. With what she told us about her life being boring at times, she'll find excitement within the next week or so, I can guarantee it." 

They turned into the alley and stripped off the pricey clothing, leaving them in their older outfits of tank tops and black pants as they dropped the outfits into the garbage. Sango tied her hair in the ponytail and put on her sunglasses, waiting for Miroku to pull his out of his pocket. "I'm glad that Inuyasha makes everyone in the gang wear nothing but black. It suits me just fine."

"It has always suited you. Inuyasha likes the look of an assassin. He is the most dangerous looking person in the state, after all."

A limo then pulled up to the curve, honking impatiently. Miroku and Sango hurried and climbed in, ready to tell Inuyasha of their findings.

*~*~*^_^*~*~*

(A/N Thanks! Hope you enjoyed it.)


	2. The Kidnapping

Disclaimer- I still don't own Inuyasha! -_- 

(A/N-A reminder that everything I do in this story serves an ultimate purpose, and since I have majority of the story written I know what I'm talking about. So, once again, continue to bear with me! And just so you know, Sango is one of the sorts of people that just go completely crazy with rage. Yea, that's why the gang is terrified of her)

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Chapter two: The kidnapping

Three days later…

It was finally the end of the day, and after many appointments Kagome was ready to go home. 

OK, that was an understatement…all she wanted to do was _leave _the office and partake in some wonderful wine to wash away her stress. She couldn't think of anything else that would sound good besides a nice hot spa that she doubted she'd be getting tonight anyway.

She just couldn't get her meeting with Sango and Miroku out of her mind. It was almost insane the way her stomach was reacting to them. She figured that they were lying about something, yet she enjoyed it and was perfectly comfortable around them, and she found it rather odd. "Hmm…strange. Something tells me there was something wrong with that whole conversation. They seemed a little too innocent…"

Wanda poked her head in the door and smiled softly. "Anything I can get you before I leave, Miss. Higurashi?"

"No, Wanda thanks anyway. Go ahead and go home."

"Thank you ma'am." Then she turned and left as quickly as her feet could carry her.

Kagome called from her cell phone to get her limo to pull up front, and she walked down the huge steps to meet it. _It must be midnight._ Kagome thought by how dark it looked outside. The air was slightly chilly and she couldn't help but think that if her father would only let her get the coat she wanted, she'd be warm this moment. She hated it when he forced her to wear only what he wanted her to.

She shook that thought off and continued to think of more important matters. A strange feeling wouldn't leave her gut, but instead of panicking to find out what it meant, she just calmly waited outside her building.

A black limo could be seen pulling up around the curb, and Kagome almost thought it was hers. She had walked to the edge of the street corner to get in, but noticed right away that something wasn't right about it. In fact, when it pulled out in front of her and the door opened, she was most certain of it.

A black-gloved hand reached out and quickly grabbed her, pulling her into the dark limo before she had the chance to protest. It was dark enough in the limo that she couldn't see the man who had taken her yet, but it would be impossible with his hands holding her tightly so she couldn't turn around, anyway. She was a little frightened as the limo sped off. _What the hell is going on?_

The man behind her leaned in and sniffed her hair, chuckling at her startled reaction. "Well, well, well, you must be Kagome Higurashi. Am I correct?"

She snorted in disbelief. "Who the hell are you! What do you want?"

He sighed. "Cuff her, Miroku."

"MIROKU!" Kagome's vision was adjusting and she could see one of the figures move forward to duct-tape her arms together.

The man behind her growled softly, tightening his hold on her waist. "Damn it, Miroku, you told her your real name? Damn, if you want something done right…"

"Personally, if you had gone into her office, she wouldn't have talked to you because you would refuse to wear anything but your normal clothing, Inuyasha. And your normal attire is rather shocking."

Kagome sighed and turned her head enough to look into a pair of golden eyes. They were stunning, she realized, but the man reeked of danger. He seemed to use his look to his advantage and bared a pair of ferocious looking fangs as if to intimidate her. All that resulted in doing was pissing her off. "So you're that gang leader, Inuyasha the shadow lurker or something to that effect? What do you want!" She repeated.

He carefully removed a hand from holding her waist, wrapping the other more securely around her, and removed the leather glove to reveal very violent looking claws. She gasped when he put them in front of her face so she could get an idea just how sharp they were. "You are in a very dangerous situation, Miss. Kagome. A rich woman such as yourself could be used as a wonderful blackmail item, you know."

"Oh I see; you are going to blackmail my father with my life, huh?"

"Shut up and listen, woman. I said I _could_ use you that way, but I have other plans for you."

"Like?"

"Persistent bitch, now aren't we?"

"I have every damn right to know why I'm being used by you, Mr. _Inuyasha_."

He snorted. _That cocky little bitch…_

Sango sighed from her spot in the limo. "Just tell her, Inuyasha. We have to get her to cooperate, anyway."

He pointed at her figure across the limo, apparently able to see her perfectly while everyone else couldn't see much of anything. "Shut the fuck up, second in command! I know what the hell I'm doing!"

"Well FYI, tying her up and calling her names isn't going to get her to do what we want!"

Kagome grabbed his clawed hand from her now unbound hands, shocking the hell out of Inuyasha while she inspected his claws carefully. "So you're a Hanyou, huh?"

"How in the fuck…"

"Very interesting, I guess your name makes since now. Dog demon. Or at least, half dog demon."

Everyone in the limo dropped their jaws. Inuyasha stared at her carefully, his ears twitching madly. "How the hell did you know that, number one, and number two, how did you get off your bounds?"

"If you must know, I took a few classes in college. You have all the signs of a Hanyou from my history books when I studied Japan, and not to mention your dog-ears give it away. A full Youkai looks more human, or at least normally. And I'm not going to tell you how I got off the bounds; I'm just going to tell you that I have taken many self-defense classes. I am a rich kid, you know."

Inuyasha was shocked with her answer, as was everyone else in the limo. He had never been more patient with a person in his life, and nothing was more irritating to him than a woman who couldn't keep her mouth shut, or one that continued to astonish him with bravery. He felt it made him look weak, and sadly his reputation could not afford that. He used his claws hand and grabbed her chin, painfully forcing her to look in his eyes. "You will do whatever the fuck I tell you to, got it?"

"Fine."

He raised an eyebrow. "Fine? You're giving up so easily?"

"Not that I'm giving up, but as Sango and Miroku already know, I have a boring life and this is a little improvement on my dull ways. I'll do most of whatever you tell me to simply because I'm not used to being the one receiving harsh orders or obeying hard laws."

"You'll do _all_ that I tell you to."

"Well you better not expect me to sleep with someone cause I will flat out refuse on that, no matter what you say."

"You'll do it and like it, if I tell you to, bitch."

"No."

"Are you arguing with me?"

"Yes, I believe I am."

"You've got some nerve, girl."

"Excuse me, but I am a woman, not a girl."

"You could be a fucking whore for all I care and it wouldn't change my mind!"

"Well I'm not a whore, or a little girl, or a bitch! Get used to it, dog boy!"

He growled loudly this time, trying as hard as he could not to slice the woman in his lap in half. He had plans for this girl _alive_ and she needed to stay that way for the time being. Meanwhile, he needed to figure out how to shut her mouth so that he didn't loose his temper…

Miroku and Sango's mouth's basically hung open. Neither could believe that Inuyasha hadn't gutted her by now. Even if he needed her alive, by now she would have normally been mince meat. Miroku decided to make a statement when he noticed this and snorted rather loudly. "Inuyasha, are you feeling ok?"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"You haven't killed her yet, and she's been insulting you and wearing out your patience, all the while she's sitting on your lap where you have direct access to her throat." 

Inuyasha directed his growling towards Miroku and Sango decided to step in. "Damn it, Inuyasha, just get on with it!"

"Fine, damn, keep your shirt on Sango." He grabbed the back of Kagome's neck hard enough to show her who was in charge without snapping it in half, and slipped a pair of sunglasses that were way too dark to see through over her eyes. "We _might_ tell you our purpose after we get to the base, but you are going to attract attention in your slutty outfit."

"Excuse me, it is not a slutty outfit, it is a business outfit."

"Ugh, what the fuck ever! You're not going to walk in wearing nothing but that." He forced her in a long sleeved leather jacket, carefully buttoning it up the front so that none of her dress showed through. "When we get out of this car, walk like you weren't kidnapped, and if you scream then so help me I'll rip your throat out."

"I told you already! I'll do _most_ of what you say."

"You fucking bitch…"

"You have quite the mouth, you know. I think you have the most colorful vocabulary I have ever seen."

He scowled. "You ain't seen nothing yet, bitch." His hand rested on her shoulder as the car came to a complete stop. Opening the door, he motioned for the other people in the car to get out first so they could assist him with the woman on his lap. 

Miroku grabbed Kagome's arm and helped her off Inuyasha's lap and onto the sidewalk outside of the warehouse. Inuyasha had his sunglasses on as he stepped out and grabbed Kagome's other elbow roughly, leading her towards the building at a quick pace so they weren't spotted on the street.

Miroku helped on the other arm as he pulled out his cell phone and told Shippo to unlock the doors. They opened and Inuyasha pushed her into the building, waiting until the door closed before he took the sunglasses off of her. She looked around in the warehouse and widened her eyes in wonder. "Wow, you people sure know how to live..."

"_Duh, _bitch. Follow me." The three gangsters walked up the path of stairs, and to avoid the questioning looks she was getting by the people in the other room, she followed quickly behind. Not that she was worried about them or anything, but she'd prefer to stay near the bad guys that she partially _knew._

Inuyasha stood at the top of his staircase and stared down at the group of people glaring at Kagome. "What the fuck are you people looking at! This is none of your damn business, so turn around and do whatever the hell you were doing before we walked in!" The men immediately turned around and started playing a game of darts, ignoring them completely once again.

Inuyasha opened his office doors and ushered everyone in, simply pointing at the chair in the middle of the room for Kagome to sit in. After rolling her eyes, she quickly walked over to it and sat down, leaning back and being as un-lady like as possible with her arms crossed over her chest and her legs sprawled out in the chair. She saw no need to be a lady in front of a bunch of guys, anyway. If they didn't like it, they could bite her.

Inuyasha sat at his desk and leaned back as well, propping his feet up on the desk with his arms behind his head. His chains could be heard dragging against the floor, and underneath his shiny boots, a Swiss knife was revealed. If she was correct, all he had to do was push a button and the knife would pop out, just like how the people pop car tires in the movies.

Miroku and Sango stood near a wall, and Miroku had just earned a punch to the face from his groping of Sango. She sat there muttering about stupid boyfriends while he leaned against the wall so he wouldn't have fallen down and embarrassed himself.

Inuyasha sighed, eyeing Kagome carefully. "Well, Sango, what should we do about her ugly clothes?"

"Hmm…you're right. I've got something better she could wear. It looks like we're about the same size."

Kagome huffed and glared at Inuyasha. "Tell me, why did you kidnap me again?"

"I'm getting to that! Shit, you women are the most impatient species…"

"Women are not a species alone, Inuyasha. We are part of the human race and are entitled to the title of woman."

He jerked his feet forward, setting them on the floor instantly and pointing at her like a child. "I'll fucking slit your throat if you don't knock that off!"

"What? Afraid you can't handle it?"

"I could handle anything you dish out, bitch."

"Then why don't you reply with something other than threats? Or is that all you're good at?"

He widened his eyes in surprise. _What a mouth…_

Miroku shook his head slightly. _She's not afraid of him…and she appears to be perfectly matched when it comes to arguing. Perhaps Inuyasha is enjoying himself more than he leads on to be…_

Inuyasha stood and walked around the desk slowly to circle her in her chair. "You know, any normal human and I would have killed you in the limo, but something about you keeps me from killing you. Since you think you're so smart, care to explain that to me?"

"Maybe I'm the first real verbal challenge you've had in a while, and you like a challenge, don't you Inuyasha?"

"Maybe. That doesn't mean that I'm going to put up with your mouthy comments."

She made a sound like she couldn't believe her ears, grabbing the arm of the chair to support herself as she shifted. "I have mouthy comments? Listen to you! Every other word with you is a swear word, and every sentence that comes out of your mouth is a threat!"

"So?"

"So you shouldn't sit there and tell me about how mouthy I am being when everything you say would make a sailor blush!"

Sango suppressed a laugh and Miroku smiled brightly, making Inuyasha glare at them both in frustration. "Sango and Miroku, get your ass's out of here! I'll call you when I need you!" The two turned on their heel and headed towards the door, Sango turning around and saying with a laugh "I'll pick her out some good clothes, don't worry." Then they were gone to venture down into the depths of the club.

Kagome had a very cross look on her face. "I ask again, Inuyasha, why did you kidnap me?"

He eyed her carefully, not sure about answering or why he was even thinking about it. "Because I am at war with my brother, and he was going to kidnap you first."

Kagome rolled her eyes and leaned back in the chair. "Oh Kami, Inuyasha, that's childish."

"Is it? Tell me something, Ka-go-me. Would you rather be in the ruthless hands of my bastard brother, who actually _does_ want to use you for blackmail, or in my hands where you actually get to live until you push me over the edge?"

She stood and crossed her arms. "Since you have made it perfectly clear that you aren't going to kill me yet, I guess I'd rather be here, but that only answers part of my question. Why be so childish as to keep your brother from getting what he wants out of my father?"

"Because, damn it, it's war! We keep each other from things that the other person wants, so taking you first is another way to get him pissed off."

"Then what do you plan to do with me?"

He rubbed his chin as if in deep thought. The fact that he hadn't thought about it yet is what made Kagome slightly nervous. He could suddenly decided to use her as target practice, since he didn't actually need her alive. He could do _anything_ he wanted to her…

When he seemed done thinking, a cocky smirk appeared on his face as he moved to sit on the desk in front of the chair. He crossed his arms and watched her reaction as his chains made a strange clinking noise against the desk. "What do you know about guns?"

Kagome huffed again and put hands on her hips. "I told you, I took a self defense class. I own a fucking gun."

"But can you use it?"

"Give me a gun and I'll test it on you."

"Watch it woman, you're still on thin ice."

"I can shoot and hit, and I'm a good actress for when the time calls for it. Why?"

His smirk remained and got a little bigger. "We'll put you to the test, but if you're as good as you think you are then maybe Sango won't be the only girl in this group anymore. If you're any good, I might even have you do some assignments with her."

"You're being nice. What gives?"

"Maybe I gave you the wrong impression, but I'm not the type to just throw out a good opportunity. You just have to get used to the fact that _I'm_ the boss around here, and _you_ have to listen to _me_."

She sighed. "I know that, but as of now you haven't said I was in your group, and I don't have to listen to you."

"You had better listen to me or I'll…"

"I know, I know, you'll slit my throat." She sat down on the chair again and crossed her arms, looking off to the side in thought. "I just have one question."

"What?"

"You're not going to make me dress like some slutty bitch, are you?"

"Hell, if you wanted to look like a slutty bitch then wear your normal outfits. The outfits that Sango has will make you look violent, not slutty."

Kagome brushed it off. "Where do I sleep?"

"Just don't worry your little head about anything. Sango will be one of your look outs." He looked behind him at a noise in the basket and sighed. "Shit." He got up and picked the little bundle up, and Kagome stared with wide-eyes at him as he held an infant. She could feel her laughter before she let it loose and then basically tumbled onto the floor. He stared at her with a strange face and she stopped for breath. "You're a daddy? Poor kid!" Then she resumed her torturous laughter on the floor.

He growled and stomped over to her. He hit his heel against the floor and the switchblade came out, pointed directly in her face. "Get up!"

She continued to laugh but stood on her feet. He held the kid out to her and she took it, staring with question as she calmed down. "Why do you want me to hold your brat?"

He growled loudly with clenching fists. "That's not my kid, damn it! Hold it, it smells."

"Well where are the kid's parents?"

"I don't know, and I frankly don't care. We didn't worry about that…only that the father is part of my brother's gang and he pissed me off to no end."

"Well you need to give the kid a bath and change it's diaper, Inuyasha. You have to take care of it, not neglect it and let it sleep in a basket of clothes."

He shrugged. "I don't know anything about kids and I don't really care. If you want to take care of the little whelp then by all means do."

"I don't know much about kids either."

"Well you know more than I do."

"I'm not taking care of it. It's your responsibility."

"Psh, my responsibility is taking care of and managing my gang, and ordering them around. I don't have fucking time for a kid!"

"Then you should have thought of that before you took it. If you neglect it, it'll turn into a mindless zombie that won't do anything anyone tells it to."

He glared at her. "Don't give me a damn lecture, bitch, I don't care about the kid. I took it for a reason."

"Then you hold it." She gave it back to him and sat down in the chair again. Inuyasha appeared to be pondering whether or not to kill her, but he ended up exhaling carefully. "You know, bitch, I'm going to be surprised if you're still alive at the end of this week."

"Well, Inuyasha, I've had a hard life, believe it or not, and debating and arguing and complaining is what I learned to do to stay on top."

"Hmph. Whatever. I could care less." _Fascinating…this girl's right, she is a challenge. And she has no idea how much I love a challenge. I think I'll keep her around_.

"But I'd like to do you a favor."

"I'm listening."

"You obviously don't want to care for the kid and you want to piss the parents off. Well, you did that much already, so why don't I feed it, bath it, and change its diaper, and then take it to the social services station where they'll place it in a foster home?"

He grunted as he induced a rubbing on his eyes. "There's just one problem with that theory."

"And that is?"

"The parents would eventually get it back!"

"Well by now they know it was you who took it, don't you think? If the cops come after you, then either way they're getting the brat back."

He growled and ran a hand through his hair, letting his gaze stare at the ground. Kagome was surprised that he was even considering it, especially since she hadn't even known him for an hour. "Fine, I'll let you, on one condition."

"What?"

"Sango has to go with you."

Kagome sighed. She had many comments for that ready, but she decided not to mouth of any more than she had to at the moment. "Ok, fine, Sango can come with me."

A knock came on the door and Inuyasha scowled. "What the fuck is it now!" Sango walked in with handful of black clothing and chains and she smirked down at Kagome. "Let me borrow her for a few minutes, Inuyasha, and we'll see how dangerous she can look."

He smirked and waved them off. "Sure, just as long as she doesn't look like that anymore. My eyes were starting to water." After she muttered, "Fuck you", Inuyasha chuckled softly while putting the kid back down into the blankets. He sighed carefully after he was sure they were gone into the bathrooms. "This will be a hell of an experience."

*~*~*^_^*~*~*

Kagome had changed into a very tight sleeveless shirt with a turtleneck that tucked into skintight pants, held in place with a chain belt. Her boots went to the middle of her calves, but that was hidden underneath the pants. They too had the Swiss knives underneath, and Kagome was informed that all you had to do to activate them was to hit very hard on the heal of the boot. A chain went around her neck and a couple of fingerless biking gloves for her hands. To top it all off, Sango demanded that her hair belonged in a ponytail like hers was, so up it went.

Sango smirked after rubbing her hands together, accessing her work. "I must say, I'll enjoy picking outfits out for you Kagome. That way I'll know what goes good together." She pulled sunglasses out of her pockets. "Just one more touch." Then she tucked the glasses up in her hair, ready to be pulled down any second for exiting outside.

Kagome smiled at her reflection. She enjoyed the rebel look that this gave her, all black with a badass style. It was certainly a change. "Wow, Sango, you have great taste in clothes."

"As long as it's black, Inuyasha doesn't care."

"He said something about you being one of my watch people for a while."

"I have to make sure you won't run away or try to kill us or anything, too. Course even if you did try to kill us, you wouldn't succeed. You're talking to some of the best shots and fighters in all of the country."

She turned around and stared at the girl. "Are you kidding me? After what you and Miroku listened to in my office, you know very well that my life was boring. This is very interesting so far, so there's no way I'd give it up!"

Sango smiled brightly and brought her hand up to her chin. "I've been meaning to ask you this…are you afraid of Inuyasha at all? You seem to like taunting him, challenging him."

Kagome stared down as if the floor was very interesting. Her lips twisted as she thought of anything that she thought frightened her about Inuyasha. "Actually, no I'm not. In a few ways, he's just as stubborn as I am, but he has a more colorful language and a deadly reputation. And he has informed me many times that if I were a normal person, he would have killed me long ago, but he hasn't done it yet. Doesn't seem like he's going to kill me."

"He isn't very patient, but you were right about him loving a challenge. You can back-talk like no one else around here. I used to be the only one even close to competition with Inuyasha. Now it seems we have a match."

Kagome smiled. "Sango, is it possible for you and I to be friends? I know you guys kidnapped me and all, but I really wouldn't mind having a good friend here."

"I don't see why not, seeing that Inuyasha will be keeping you around and having me take care of you." She grinned and shook her hand. "I'd like to have a female friend around here anyway." Suddenly, she turned Kagome around and started to push her towards the door. "Did I mention that Inuyasha's impatient? We need to go before he bursts in here on his own."

"Hey, wait a second."

"Yea?"

"Why are you the second in command? Just curious…"

"Because every damn guy here is afraid of me when I get pissed off. I even worry Inuyasha."

"Oh." She shoved Kagome out the door and they were back into the room, obviously interrupting a conversation between some guy and a very pissed off Inuyasha.

Sango cleared her throat and added plenty of emphasis to draw the attention of Inuyasha away from the other man. "How's this, Inuyasha?"

Both men turned their attention to Kagome and the one she didn't know mustered up a cocky smile. "Well, well, Inuyasha, who have we here?"

Inuyasha growled at the other man and stared at her, doing the random sweep with his eyes from her head to toe several times. "Well at least she doesn't look like a business slut anymore. I like the addition of the chains, Sango."

"You know, she needs a long leather coat and a gun or two and she'd be dangerous enough."

The second man walked near her and circled her carefully, as if he was investigating something he wanted to buy. His cocky grin didn't go away and it started pissing Kagome off. "What's your name?"

She crossed her arms and huffed, looking down then around as if asking for help. "Kagome."

"That's a pretty name. I've never seen you before."

"That's because I've never _been_ here before."

He slipped a hand around her waist and pulled her close while she gasped. He had to be the most vile person she had ever seen. "Why don't you be my woman?"

"Kouga, for fuck's sake..." Sango started. Inuyasha was growling loudly and prepared to break them up, even though he wasn't exactly sure why. He had no relationship with this girl whatsoever, but it must have had something to do with the man…yea, that's it. It's Kouga he loathed and he hated his pick-up lines.

Kagome leaned back and punched him hard in the face with incredible force, knocking him a good distance away from her. She rubbed her wrist while he leaned against the wall with a hand on his nose and udder disbelief all over his face. Inuyasha wasn't any better with his mouth hanging open and his eyes bigger than grapefruits. Sango just clapped with a little show of sarcasm and smiled at her. "I don't think you need guns to be dangerous."

Kagome pointed at Kouga while panting slightly. "That is no way to treat a lady."

He smirked as he moved his hand away from his nose, scrunching it up and down to get the feeling back. "Wow, where'd you find this little vixen, Inuyasha?"

He snorted and snapped back into reality. "On a street corner."

Kagome glared at him. "Oh sure, make me sound like a whore."

"Truth hurts, don't it? That's how you were when I found you."

"Jerk."

"Bitch."

"Bastard."

"Stupid gutter slut."

"Arrogant, overbearing smart ass!"

He grinned at her with a show of fangs and leaned against his desk, perfectly comfortable with this conversation. "You wouldn't last a minute against me."

"I wouldn't want to fight with you, Inuyasha, on the off chance that I would break one of your nails and you would kill me out of pure rage."

He growled with a flash of red in his golden eyes. That comment struck him deep and he had no prepared retort to it. Kouga started laughing and both of them glared at him. Kagome then walked over to him and grabbed his collar, bringing his face close to hers. "What the hell is so funny?"

"Your comment."

"Well this is none of your business."

"That doesn't mean it's not funny."

Inuyasha, who suddenly appeared behind him, grabbed a hold of his hair and jerked him away from her. He dragged him over to the doorway and threw him out, yelling after him. "Get Miroku, Kouga and leave us the fuck alone!" Then he slammed the door as hard as he could without breaking it off the hinges. The minute he slammed the door his cell phone rang and he picked it up, answering in his normal way. "Yea, what do you want?"

"Inuyasha?"

"Who the hell is this?"

"This would be Shippo, sir."

"What is it?"

"Sesshomaru happens to be standing outside, demanding entrance to our club."

His gaze dropped. "What the fuck? Don't let him move." He hung up the phone and pointed at Sango, as if that would give him more emphasis. "Keep an eye on that bitch, and don't let her out of your sight."

"Gotcha." Inuyasha stomped out the door, his boots making a wonderful noise against the wooden floor as he slammed the door behind him.

Kagome crossed her arms and huffed at nothing. "I really want to bash his nose in, too. Just once would be nice."

"Hell, if he'll let ya, do it. I'm the only person so far in the club that almost knocked him out with a single punch, and if you can do it too, he'd have no choice but to make sure you're one of us."

"Well you seem to know your way around. Can you teach me all you know?"

"Sure thing. I think that's what Inuyasha was going to have me do, anyway." The girls sat in the room and waited for Miroku, who was supposed to escort them and keep an extra eye on Kagome. However, the eye that would be on her would make Sango's hand itch to smack him as hard as ever.

*~*~*^_^*~*~*

Miroku had to stand by Inuyasha when he met his brother to make sure that he kept himself under control. Normally, Sango would have been the one to help out, but she had to deal with Kagome at the moment. For some reason, Miroku wasn't trusted alone with a woman, especially to keep an eye on her.

He was rather worried at the scowl on Inuyasha's face as he glared at his brother. To them both, it was clear that Sesshomaru was after something. He never came without a reason, anymore.

Both of the brothers would love nothing more than to rip each other's throats out, but they had agreed to keep this war strictly involved with their business. No throat slashing allowed, even though Miroku could tell Inuyasha had to contain himself from doing so.

Sesshomaru, like Inuyasha, was a very rich gangster. Of course, where Sesshomaru spent his money financing his club and paying for nice business suits, Inuyasha spent his on guns and knifes, and leather outfits for all his people with the latest high-tech technology. Sesshomaru was more of a nice person, one who wasn't afraid to communicate and be nice to other people to get what he wanted. Or at least, that's how he seemed to business people. He could be rather hostile towards the people who knew him well.

Inuyasha, however, chose to be a frightening person so that he didn't have to deal with anyone or anything. He liked everyone knowing how dangerous he was. It was an easier method of getting things.

They couldn't be more opposite, but everyone could tell they were related because of their hair and claws. That had to be the only similarity.

Inuyasha had stepped outside with Miroku, staring right at Sesshomaru and his right hand woman, Rin. She was his second in command, like Sango, and her tactics were very deadly. If she pulled a gun, you had no chance of getting out of her way, because she was a quick shot and never missed her mark. She made even Inuyasha nervous. "What the fuck do you want?"

"We need to talk, little brother."

"I'm listening, but I ain't going to be patient."

"Hmph…where did you go to school? 'Ain't' isn't a word."

Inuyasha clenched his fists and growled, speaking through clenched teeth that would bruise his jaw. "Just tell me why you're here now, and then leave!"

"This childish game of war we have been playing is ridiculous, and I think it's time we had a truce. You have disabled me from many good hits, and what's worse is you somehow stole my plan of kidnapping the Higurashi girl, and disabled me from the amount of money I had hoped to receive for renovations in my club."

"You have plenty of goddamn money. And I ain't callin' no fucking truce. Get used to it."

"I just want the girl, Inuyasha. I won't take action if I get the girl."

"No. Get lost."

"What use could you possibly have for the bitch? She's too stubborn to become a whore."

Inuyasha growled deeply, showing his offending claws to his brother quite easily. "I don't stoop low enough to gather whores, like you do. And I'm certainly not dumb enough to get stuck with one for all eternity."

Rin glared at him and reached for her gun, but Sesshomaru was quicker and stopped her, gracefully holding her twitching hand in his. "Do not tempt me, Inuyasha. I must have Kagome Higurashi. Hand her over or I'll take drastic measures."

"Beat it!" Then he turned into his club and slammed the door in his face, opening it again and grabbing the shocked and slow Miroku to drag him in. "Get in here, damn it!" He slammed it again after dragging him inside.

Sango was teaching Kagome how to throw small knives up in Inuyasha's office. The target was he dartboard hanging by the door, and she was getting pretty good at it. Sango smiled as she almost hit the target in the center with near precision. "You're getting pretty good, Kagome."

"Thanks, I used to play darts in my room." She threw the knife again and hit the center, almost jumping for joy but resisting the childish urge. She prepared to throw another when the door burst open, effectively scaring the crap out of her and making her jump, throwing the knife directly at Inuyasha. 

She gasped and he stared wide-eyed at the knife and caught it between his forefinger and thumb, just inches in front of his face. He growled at Kagome's wide-eyes and shook his head in arrogance. "Damn, Sango, maybe you should _move_ the board…" He snapped with sarcasm. He took the knife and stabbed it into the center of the mark before continuing into the room and over to his desk.

"You bursting the door down scared her, Inuyasha. She was hitting the target perfectly fine."

Miroku walked in after him and stared at Kagome with a slight smirk on his face. "Wow, Kagome, you really look great. Like one of us."

Sango clenched the pop can in her hands and crushed it, glaring at him carefully. "Don't you even think about touching her, Hentai, or I'll kill you personally. She's on my watch, and I'm supposed to be your girlfriend."

He sighed and crossed his arms protectively around his chest, smirking at her cautiously. "Don't worry, Sango, it was just an observation. I know that I wouldn't be able to speak for a week if I did."

"More like you'd loose the loss of the hand that grabbed her." She narrowed her eyes and made her point by gripping the knife on her pants.

"All right, its hands off, I promise."

"No one will be touching Kagome." Inuyasha stated, out of the blue, from his desk. He suddenly found his hands very interesting. Everyone turned and stared at him with surprised eyes, so he had to continue.

"What? As much as I hate to say it, we need her after all. I don't want her violated in any way by anyone, except maybe verbally by me. So touch her, Hentai, and you'll find out first hand how a neutered dog feels."

Kagome turned towards him with a knife in hand and crossed her arms casually over her chest. She had to fight to keep the utter disbelief off her face. She had been under the impression that Inuyasha hated her, and didn't care if she lived or died, or if she was raped in an alley somewhere. "Why does it matter to you about what other people do to me?"

"Hey, I don't have to care if you'd like."

"I'm just asking." 

"Well I'm just telling you. After I got to thinking about it, we always need more women for our hits, and as long as you can shoot and act, you'll be perfect."

"Well thanks, I guess."

"Do me a favor and don't thank me. As of now, you are part of this gang and I'm your boss. Anything I say you have to do, meaning you'll do it or you'll be punished."

She sighed and put her hands on her hips to appear bored. "And what if I attempt to do it, but fail?"

"Then you'll get a hell of a lecture from me, and possibly still be punished. Ask anyone here, my lectures aren't very pleasant."

Sango and Miroku nodded. She sighed with exasperation and raised her eyebrows. "He's right, even I can't argue when I don't do what I'm told."

"So there, you happy?" He stood and came around the desk, circling her again, looking at her work on the dartboard. "You can throw, I'll give you that, but I want you downstairs and learning how to shoot a gun." He reached into his pocket and handed her a black handgun, butt first, knowing all the while that if she wanted to she could shoot him right then and there. Somehow, though, he doubted she'd ever do anything like that.

She inspected it carefully. "This is sorta like mine."

He took interest and crossed his arms. "Good, then you'll know how to use it." He then handed her a cell phone after she inspected her gun carefully and put the safety on it, sticking it in the front of her pants. It was a little flip phone like his with a dragon design on the back. "This phone only responds to the calls in the group. You get a call on it, you better fucking pick it up, no matter what time it is, or I'll kick your ass. It's the only way we'll get a hold of you, so have it on you at all times, got it?"

"Got it."

"Good." He reached into even more of his pockets and pulled two chains with wallets on them. "Put these on."

"Why?"

"Because I said so."

She slowly put the wallets in her back pockets and the chains attached to her belt loops. He watched her carefully with slight interest and then took her cell phone back, grabbing the top of her pants with a claw and hooking it on. She felt rather odd with him touching her, but she didn't object. Instead, she stared at him. "Say, _boss_, I have a question."

"What?" He asked harshly never looking away from his work.

"Is the only reason I'm even in this group because I punched Kouga in the nose?"

He smirked while he adjusted her chains. "That was a very nice bonus. You proved to me that you could handle yourself in most situations. Which brings me to my next topic…"

He took out a large knife with a sheathe over the blade and a little clip on the side. The blade alone was longer than her hand, and she watched him while he attached it to her pants, as well. "Don't ever go anywhere without your chains. It's the only way we could find you if something happened."

"Ok."

He pulled back and stared at her carefully. "Now, if I have you doing jobs on your own ever, you'll have a way to talk to me or listen to me. Probably an earpiece in your ears and you will wear wires if I need some evidence. But no matter what you do, you will always have this." He pulled out what appeared to be a thin form of a round garage door opener and handed it to her. A little button rested in the center, and it seemed thin enough to pocket without it being visible, being no bigger than a half-dollar. "If you ever think that you're in danger, you pull this out of your pocket and hold onto it. I don't want you do die or something with egotistical theories of having to be brave. If something happens that you can't stop, push it and it'll alert me to your position and situation immediately. Don't loose it, got it?"

"Sure thing, boss."

"And call me Inuyasha. Only lower people can call me boss."

"Lower people? I thought I was a lower person. I just joined, you know."

"Yea, well, I'm going to be using you a lot. I don't put strong women as lower people because the bastards in the club would assault you anyway. In a higher position, they'd be too scared to mess with you because they'd think that I'd beat them up for it."

"Ah, I see."

He looked up at Sango and smiled evilly. "Sango, she'll be sleeping with you." Miroku seemed, for some reason, very disappointed, and after Sango had elbowed him hard, Inuyasha continued. "You can be her look out and make sure that she learns everything she needs. I don't want to be her babysitter. I might even have a job for you two in a couple of days."

"Ok."

Inuyasha turned his attention back to Kagome and seemed to sweep her body over, almost as if he was her clothing designer. "She needs a leather coat."

"Why?"

"One, because it'll hide all your weapons, and two, because I said so and everyone in my club has leather coats. I'll have you measured later, 'cause it has to be perfect. I'll be calling you often. Trust me on that." He moved to sit back down at his desk, but before he did he finished his statement. "Sango, go show her around and then the two of you meet with me in the gun chambers in half an hour."

Sango nodded and grabbed Kagome's elbow, leading her out the door at a pace that Kagome had to struggle to keep up. Inuyasha pointed at his chair with a smirk on his face and Miroku sat. "We have a lot to talk about in little time, Miroku. Make yourself comfortable."

*~*~*^_^*~*~*

(A/N- I know they use bad words a lot, but that's just to prove a point later on in the story (I promise!) SO just bear with me, ok? And just to avoid any future questions, this is when Inuyasha starts liking Kagome. He realizes that she's a great challenge for him. And Kouga and Kikyo get bashed a ton (Because I personally don't like either of them) And Sesshomaru is the main enemy instead of Naraku. But I do love Fluffy! Such a pretty drawing!)


	3. Our Newest Member

Disclaimer- I do not own Inuyasha. **Sigh**

(A/N-Thanks for all the reviews! I didn't think that my story would be so loved, so for all the nice people out there I decided to be kind and go ahead with the next chapter…hehe, anyway, I have a lot of the chapters already written, I just wait for the reviews. And I make sure to edit the story. But still, yet another reminder that you shouldn't hate me for anything I do in this story because it all serves a purpose! I'll update pretty regularly, trust me…it just may take a day or two.)

****

Chapter three-The newest member

Not surprisingly to Kagome, a motel was right next to the warehouse, and she found that with the exception of Inuyasha, every one of the members lived there. Sango lived on the top story, along with Miroku across the hall. All the other top people did as well, and Kagome was angry when she found out that Kouga was one of them. She wasn't sure she liked him much…

But she didn't complain once she saw the room.

The room was large, with a wonderful kitchen and a large dinning room, connected with a doorway and a wall window. There was a living room with a black leather couch and a leather chair, and a big screen television surrounded by a beautiful entertainment center. There were very artistic pictures all over, and a large hallway that she hadn't been down yet, but looked just as promising as the rest of it. Her mouth hung open at how beautiful the rooms were. "Wow."

"You like it?" She smiled at her. "Come on, I'll show you your room."

Sango led her down the hall and showed her into one of the three doors down the hall. The first door led into the bathroom, the second was Sango's room, and the third would be Kagome's. She opened it and instantly loved it. "Once again, _wow_."

A queen-sized bed sat in the middle, backed up against the wall, and a rocking chair on one side of it sat by a bookcase with encyclopedias. A large vanity chest with make up and such sat on the other side, and a closet in the wall right in front of the bed. A window sat above the chair, with dark blue blinds that made the room seem dark all the time. Everything in the room was blue, except for the vanity and bookcase, which was a cherry brown oak and Kagome couldn't believe it. Some of the stuff in this house was more expensive than anything that she had in her old room at home…"This is a great room, Sango."

"Inuyasha owns the building, so everything had to be done in style. He would have had black leather everything, but he could only do black leather furniture in the living room. Even the bathroom has black counters and toilets."

"Well Inuyasha certainly knows what he likes."

"The best part is, we don't have to pay for it, as long as we're in the gang." She put a hand on her chin and sighed. "There is one thing I should warn you about…"

"What's that?"

A loud pounding at the door interrupted her, and she scowled with great force. "I think that you're about to see." She walked into the living room with Kagome following suit and opened the door to reveal Kouga, and two other gang members behind him. "Hey, bitch, can we come in?"

"Who are you calling bitch? You're the wolf demon, you fucking bastard. And you aren't coming in unless you tell me what you want."

"We would like to have a talk with our newest gang member, we are entitled to it because _you_ aren't the boss."

"I'm more of a boss than Miroku, and he's third in command. Besides, I believe that Inuyasha said to leave her the fuck alone, and this is my apartment."

"That fucking idiot doesn't know what he's talking about half the time."

Sango gave him an ice glare and jabbed a finger in his chest. "You mess with her and I'll call Inuyasha to haul your ass into a river."

"You're only second in command, he'll do what he wants." Kouga pushed her aside and the three of them walked into the room to stand in front of the wary Kagome, who had been leaning against the doorway to the kitchen. She frowned as he stood in front of her with a man on each side so she couldn't just walk away, and suddenly she felt very violated..."Hey Kagome, how are you doing?"

"I've been better, Kouga. What do you want?"

"Talk to me, Kagome, tell me about yourself."

"Why should I? If Inuyasha told you to leave me alone then you had better do it."

"I ain't afraid of that bastard." 

__

Where did these people go to school at? "From where I'm standing, the first time I saw you he was about to beat your ass."

He leaned forward and sniffed the crook of her neck almost as if he hadn't heard the comment. "Would he beat me if I marked you as mine?"

"I'm not yours, so get the hell away!" She grabbed his nose and pushed him off, crossing her arms over her chest as if making a barrier against him. The men on the side of her each grabbed an arm and she struggled to get them off while Sango got on her cell phone. "Inuyasha, code blue in my apartment."

Kouga stood and got in front of her again, smirking in a way that made Kagome want to wretch. "You are very brave, little girl. Inuyasha got lucky when he found another brave bitch."

Kagome had had enough of him. She used the knowledge from her self-defense class and took her measurements. She leaned back in the men's arms, kicked upward hitting him square in the nose, and he was instantly knocked out with what could have broken the nose on a regular human. He fell to the ground as blood began it's rapid decent down his face, and the other two men gripped harder on her arm and forced her to her knees. 

Sango drew her gun and pointed it at Kouga while she stared at the two men. "Back off her or I'll kill him."

The men started laughing hysterically. "Go ahead, kill him!"

She drew another gun and pointed each at one of them, aiming precisely for their heads. "I'll shoot and not miss, now let her go."

The men gulped, but didn't let go as they stared at the gun barrels. Kagome had to wonder if all the men in Inuyasha's gang were this stupid. They couldn't have been very smart if they were following Kouga.

Suddenly the door burst open and an enraged Inuyasha stomped in. In one swift and almost blinding moment he had taken out his knives and latched one on each of the men's throats. "If you don't fucking let her go right now, I'll slit without second thought."

They finally let her go, dropping her to the floor with a thud. He looked down at her with a half concerned gaze, but after seeing that she was fine, he looked around the room for Kouga. "Where's Kouga?"

Sango pointed to him and Inuyasha widened his eyes. He looked back down at Kagome with big question in his eyes. "You did that?"

She slowly nodded. "I was sick of him being in my face, so I kicked him."

He smirked and put the knives back on the other men's throats, adding enough pressure that if one of them moved, they would be cut. "Now, what the hell is this? I thought I made it fucking clear to everyone in the gang that they were to leave her alone."

They pointed at Kouga, pleading in the world's most annoying voices. "He's the one that made us do it!"

"He ain't top of anything! You don't take orders from anyone but Sango, Miroku or me, until I tell you otherwise, got it?"

They nodded, apparently fearing for their lives now. "Yes boss." They said nervously.

"Good, now get your ass's out of here and wait in your room until I say so."

The men were gone out the door in less than a second as they ran towards their room. Sango put her gun away and crossed her arms with a smirk. "That was quick, Inuyasha."

"I wanted the chance to kill him before one of you two did." He looked at Kagome, almost all his rage gone as he assessed the situation. "Did they get you? What happened?"

"They basically burst in here after being denied entrance and they surrounded me. After Kouga had said something, he pissed me off and I pushed him, then the other two got a hold of my arms and I kicked Kouga after he told me that you were lucky to find me. Then Sango threatened the other men and they wouldn't listen, then you came in."

He scratched his head while taking that all in and sighed, letting the breath flow easily out of his mouth. _She has quite the attitude…_he'd have to watch himself. "Miroku!" He turned towards the doorway and waited for a minute before an out of breath Miroku entered the room. He held up a finger and bent over to catch his breath, after running up ten flights of stairs just to get there.

Inuyasha scowled. "Weak human. Come in here, damn it."

He stood and relaxed after exhaling and walked over to stand near Sango. "Forgive me for not having the ability to _jump_ up flights of stairs without even touching the steps."

"Watch it, Hentai." Kagome noticed that he had already put away the knives, and she didn't see where they came from. He bent down and got an arm under her shoulder, pulling her to her feet. "Are you hurt?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm perfectly fine."

"You should have pulled your knife and gutted him, if you could have stomached it, that is." He teased, a very shiny glint of pure arrogance in his eyes. Kagome wanted to smack that look right off his cute face…

"What, you think I couldn't have handled something like that? If I had both my arms, maybe I would have!"

He snorted, about to say something else when Sango patted his shoulder. "Inuyasha, don't give her shit about it. She handled herself well against full Youkai."

He rolled his eyes and pushed her hand off, crossing his arms again in an arrogant manner. "Yea, well she should have killed him."

"She hasn't been a member for an hour yet, and you're already expecting her to have killed him! My god, Inuyasha, you're a fucking moron."

"You are only second in command, you have no right to talk to me that way, bitch."

"Just listen to yourself! You should be happy that all she did was kick him and he was knocked out. I mean, look at him! He looked like he usually does after you get done beating him up!"

He took a glance at the wolf and smirked, letting a small chuckle sound. "I guess you're right, she is impressive…for a rich girl." Kagome huffed. He looked at his watch and sighed. "Miroku, haul his ass back to the club and tie him up in the spare room. I told him especially that it was hands off. Sango, Kagome, got your guns?"

The girls nodded and he motioned them to the door. Sango went out first, and Kagome followed with Inuyasha stomping right behind her. If she had turned and looked at him, she would have seen his cocky grin. _This bitch is impressive…she'll definitely be useful in the future_.

*~*~*^_^*~*~*

They finally got out of the building after Inuyasha had nearly beaten up the manager. He had confronted him about what had happened upstairs, but Inuyasha had simply grabbed the man's collar and pulled him halfway over the desk to answer with a simple "I own this fucking building and if you don't like it, that's just tough, I'll have you fired and then thrown hog-tied into a river." Of course, using all his scare tactics of staring straight into the poor man's eyes for intimidation, he waited until the man nodded nervously before he threw him back and they were out the door.

Kagome crossed her arms and showed amazement on her face. She had never seen assault like that in person. She had plenty of experience with it in court, but other than that she didn't know what it was like…if one didn't count the stunt Kouga had pulled just a few moments ago. "Inuyasha, how many times have you been in jail for assault?"

"None."

"Why not?"

"Because the cops are scared of me, too. They couldn't catch me if they tried, anyway." He popped his knuckles in satisfaction. That was true, after all. Human men were so frightened of him they'd rather throw down their gun and turn their back than stand and stare at him. That increased his already large ego and earned him a reputation that every criminal in the world would want. It seemed like Inuyasha could get away with anything, even if the police knew he was guilty and had a warrant for his death. 

"Have you been in jail at all?"

"Why does any of that shit matter?"

"Have you?"

"No! I have a reputation of being dangerous, and no one mess's with me because of it. That sometimes means smacking around bitchy, stubborn women who can't stop asking annoying questions."

Kagome turned and stared coldly at him. "You smack around women?"

He grinned at her noticeable worry. "Maybe."

"That's completely brutal. A woman can't possibly deal with the strength of a man, except maybe Sango, but especially not with you."

"Are you scared of me?"

"Not really."

He furrowed his brows and his ears went back in disappointment. "Why aren't you scared of me?"

She turned back around and headed towards the warehouse entrance after Sango. "I'm just not. You are too much like me for me to worry. Sure, you reek of danger, but that's it. You haven't hurt me yet."

Inuyasha smirked with the opportunity and darted in front of her, instantly getting in her way. She eyed him carefully and tried to walk around him, but he continued to step in her path. She finally gave up and crossed her arms, mimicking him in every way except for his cocky smile. "Can I go inside, boss?"

"Don't call me boss!"

"Inuyasha?"

"You'll go when I'm damn ready to let you go."

"What are you doing?"

"Standing here."

She snorted and stared at his sunglasses, hoping to be calm enough for him to get bored and move out of her way. After a few minutes of staring at each other, she found that he didn't seem to want to budge and she decided to try and walk around him again, only to fail miserably with another block. "Please let me go inside, Inuyasha, I'm cold."

"You don't know your way around the warehouse, and I'm having fun."

"You're just standing there! You're such a cocky bastard…"

He chuckled. "You'd stand there all night if I told you to, because I'm the boss."

"I told you that I'd do most of what you told me to, Inuyasha. Standing out here so I can die of pneumonia is not one of them."

"Oh really?"

"Really."

A rock suddenly hit the back of his head and he turned to glare at Sango, standing on the warehouse steps with an angry look on her face. She tapped her toe like a mother waiting for a slow child. "Inuyasha quit dicking around and get in here! It's cold, and you're just being a jackass."

"Damn it, Sango, if you weren't also my friend…"

"I know, I know, but I'm supposed to look out for Kagome, too, and that includes watching you as well. Leave her alone before she gets sick and becomes useless to us!"

He rolled his eyes and turned around, walking up to the door and muttering something about 'stupid bitches'. Kagome finally followed with a scowl, hoping that Inuyasha didn't hear it. When he turned around at the door and grinned at her, she sighed. _Of course,_ she remembered, _he has great hearing. He's half dog-demon._

His ears turned in the direction of the warehouse and he listened intently. He pushed Sango and Kagome into the door and made his way into the main room, seeing that half of his gang (about twenty people) was fighting each other. It appeared that they were out for each other's throats, because a couple of men were lying on the floor bleeding to death from stab wounds.

Inuyasha groaned and rolled his eyes. Of all the times for his gang to fight, they had to pick now in front of his new member. Great, just fucking great…

He pulled a gun out of his pocket and shot the ceiling, getting everyone's attention instantly. "If you people don't knock it off, I'll blow holes into your chests so big I can crawl through you! Now shut the hell up, sit the fuck down, and stop this bullshit before I get even angrier!" He inhaled and motioned towards the people on the floor. "And somebody clean up this mess."

There was dead silence and everyone slowly complied with his order. Kagome had wide-eyes and a shocked look on her face while Sango just crossed her arms and glared at everybody. She had seen it all before, and it wasn't uncommon for members of this gang to get into disputes. They just all knew that the risk was Inuyasha would kill them all separately and slowly. He was known for doing that…

One man stood up out of the crowd and pointed at Kagome. "Who's that, boss?" 

Inuyasha jerked the gun and pointed it at the man's head. "You weren't fucking listening to me earlier, were you? What did I tell you guys?"

"Well, you said that we had a new member, but…"

"But what does she look like?"

"Like Sango."

"What is she wearing?"

"Black clothing."

"WHAT THE FUCK DOES THAT TELL YOU!"

"Uh…" The man cowered. "That she's the new member?"

Inuyasha snorted. "Congratulations, you just answered the million dollar question and saved your ass. Next time, don't question me about anything or I'll splatter your fucking brains all over the wall, got it?"

"Yes sir."

He pulled the gun back and looked at everyone else. "Do you all get it? She's our new member, and she's just as high as Sango in the ratings, so if she tells you to do something, you better fucking do it or you'll answer to me, got it?"

"Yes sir." Everyone said at the same time. He resisted his urge to grin stupidly in victory. He loved being in charge…

He hated it, though, when his club didn't listen to him. He hated more than anything to sit there and repeat something that had been said before, like he was talking to a bunch of children. It seemed to him that his club was consisted of drunk people that could shoot and occasionally pull off a job that was meant for high technological minds. Not his idea of a perfect gang, and it explained why he was often killing them for their disobedience.

Instead of pondering stupidly over his thoughts, he snorted and turned to head to a different door. "You all fucking disgust me." Sango and Kagome followed suit over to him as he opened the basement door and led them into the depths of the dark basement.

Kagome was a little shocked. She had never seen anything like that before in her life. She'd only been here for an hour, too, so it made her wonder greatly about what else the gang had to offer.

She leaned in and whispered to Sango. "Since when am I as high as you?"

Sango shrugged and answered as honestly as she could. "Since Inuyasha said so, I guess."

"Do you get to walk around and order people around?"

"I'll explain it all later, I have to talk to Inuyasha."

She nodded as the sound of a metal door opening rang throughout the tiny stairway and a light turned on at the bottom. Inuyasha leaned on the door and waited until the girls walked in first, then he slammed it shut and locked it behind him.

Sango walked Kagome over to a glass wall that revealed many separate rooms. Walking through the first glass door, Sango led her to the middle room and showed her what to do. Taking headphones and placing them over her head, she pointed at a human shaped target about twenty feet away and explained that you wanted to hit near the heart or the head, especially in the red areas. 

When she left the room, she got into her own outfit and started shooting with nearly perfect precise hits. Inuyasha stood behind the glass and leaned on a chair, his own set of special ear muffs on because even with the glass exteriors, he could hear the loud shots all too well. He focused his attention on Kagome and smirked. "Let's see what this bitch can do." He said to himself.

Kagome pulled out her gun and checked it for bullets like a professional, showing that she at least knew how to handle one like she had originally stated. As soon as she was sure it was loaded, she clicked the safety off and aimed at the heart of the target, shooting and hitting a little to the left. All the shots she took, she almost hit exact or a little off to the side. She never once missed, and Inuyasha was starting to hate the fact that she could shoot very well. She _still_ couldn't shoot as good as him, but he didn't know why it bothered him otherwise. 

Still, there were many possible ways that she could screw up on the field. Inuyasha decided to see if she could be distracted because a distraction was on the top of the list. 

He walked over to the glass and leaned on it, staring at her and the gun carefully. He began tapping on it, and making a loud screeching noise with his claws that she would hear even with her headphones on. She only glanced back once, glared at his grin, and then turned around and shot another shot until she was out of bullets. 

He snorted and stopped his distractions. _Great, another insanely focused female…_

All that was left for her to do was to stare at the target and see if she had missed anything, but it appeared as though she was also as good as she claimed to be. _Hmm…an honest woman, too. Ah, shit…This is why women weren't going to be allowed in my gang…_

She took off her earmuffs and looked around, setting them down and preparing to go into the next room for evaluation. Inuyasha just sat there as if he was watching the TV. _Not bad for a business slut, though…_ He thought.

Sango startled her by pushing the door open first. "You're done? Let's see how you did." She walked in and stared at the target, smiling slightly after evaluating her job. "You're very good, Kagome, just as good as Miroku. Maybe even me."

Kagome was shining with arrogance. She stared at Sango in question. "How about Inuyasha?"

"He's a dead on hitter; nobody's better than him. He never misses his target. Speaking of him…" She turned around and glared at him while he leaned on the glass. "Enjoy the show, Inuyasha?"

With a twitch of his eyebrows in an upward movement, he nodded. Kagome raised an eyebrow and tapped the glass. "Isn't this soundproof glass, Sango?"

"To a human, yes. Inuyasha is only partial human, don't forget that." 

"Ah, ok."

"Are you comfortable with the gun?"

"Yes, very much so."

"Well, we don't have to practice much. It appears as though you can shoot pretty well. Come with me and we'll refill your bullets." Sango opened the door and led Kagome out of the rooms, taking her to a supplies box near Inuyasha so that they could restock. He smirked and leaned back against the glass, arms crossed in his trademark badass attitude. One that Sango knew he would probably never grow out of.

She sighed at him while getting the bullets out of the box, really wondering how much she was pushing her luck. "What did you think, Inuyasha?"

"Exactly what you thought."

"Are you aware of what I thought?"

"Yes."

"Can't you say it?"

"No, and don't ask me why, either."

She snorted and grabbed Kagome's gun away from her. "You're so damned egotistical, Inuyasha."

"No, I just don't like being nice very often."

"That's obvious." She handed the gun and bullets back to Kagome and watched as she reloaded it with ease. She grinned. _Yep, definitely better than Miroku._

She looked up at Inuyasha and resisted the urge to chime or nag. She hoped really badly that Inuyasha had meant what he said, because being the only female on top _did_ have its disadvantages. "So is Kagome really as high as I am?"

He stared at her with a 'why the hell are you asking me now' look, but decided to answer her anyway. "Well, that's what everyone believes anyway."

"What does that mean?"

"The only reason you're second in command is because you can almost, ALMOST knock me out with a punch. That and you're scarier than hell when you're pissed off. I highly doubt that Kagome here can take me on like you could."

Kagome childishly rolled her eyes. "I could take Kouga, and apparently he's full Youkai."

Inuyasha widened his eyes and smiled slightly at opportunity. He backed away from the wall and removed his sunglasses, opening his arms wide to show that he was harmless, for now… "I want to see how much punch you can pack, woman."

"Are you starting a fight with me?"

"No, I want you to hit me, as hard as you can, because if you can do as much damage as Sango, then you deserve to be the other second in command."

Kagome sheathed her gun and sighed loudly. She wasn't sure if she liked this idea because Inuyasha seemed to be the type that had no tolerance for anything. If she managed to hurt him, would he hurt her back? She didn't really know…"If I hit harder than you expect, you won't hurt me, right?"

"Nope. That's a done deal. I won't harm you if you do me."

Sango snorted. "You'd just get a bunch of very colorful threats until he's healed or someone drags him off like I did."

"Shut the hell up, Sango."

"Fine."

He looked back down at Kagome with a small smile. "Come on, bitch, one hit to the face is all I ask. If, for some reason you do damage, I'll heal it in less than an hour anyway."

Kagome popped her knuckles and swung her shoulder to loosen the muscles tense from shooting, looking at him carefully as she did so. "No cheating, and don't move."

"Fine."

She jerked her hand back and balled it up, bringing it forward and slamming it into his nose. He was very surprised with the force and sting of the blow and sat flat on the floor, holding his nose and the groans of pain that he so desperately wanted to scream. His eyes were watering and fluttering, even his ears twitching madly. Sango's eyes were wider by the second. "Whoa…she did _more_ damage than I did…"

He pulled his hand back and scrunched his nose up, hoping to get the feeling back before it decided to bleed. He stared in surprise at that strange woman, who was standing and having enough modesty to show a little concern on her face. Stars danced playfully around his eyes, and he closed them tightly to stop it. _What in the…how the hell did THAT happen?_

After he was sure that he wouldn't fall over, he stood and continued to rub it, paying no attention to Sango as he glared at Kagome. "Son of a fucking bitch, where the hell do you put it all?"

"Put it all?"

Sango put a hand on her shoulder with a small laugh and smiled. "He means, why are you that strong? His demon side can't understand how you were capable of doing that when it doesn't look like you have much muscle."

Kagome beamed at him, her eyes clearly saying 'I told you so'. "It's more in where you deliver the blow than in how hard. It wouldn't have seemed so hard if I had just hit your cheek, but I decided to make it painful. Hit a person hard enough in the nose, and you'll not only break it, but you'll knock them out."

Miroku walked in then after unlocking the door and slamming it back. He walked over while whistling a tune and after glancing up to find everyone giving him strange looks, he settled his gaze on Inuyasha and ceased his whistling to gape. "What happened to you? Did Sango get a hold of you?"

Sango sighed. As much as she would have liked for that to happen, she had to tell the truth this time. "No, Kagome punched him right in the nose. He was on his ass for a minute before you came in."

Inuyasha made it a point to growl loudly just at her before directing it towards Miroku. "Don't you go blabbing to people about this. It was a test, and she definitely passed."

Sango eyed him cautiously, hoping that she was right. "So that means that Kagome deserves to be your other second in command?"

With the famous roll of his eyes, he sighed. "Yea, yea, if she can knock Kouga out and affect me that much then she deserves to be with you."

Miroku put his hands out in front of him for defense. "Whoa, wait, wait, what does that make me?"

Inuyasha smirked. "You don't change. You just have a new boss."

"There are two right hand people?"

"They are more likely my right and left hand people, and you are just my third choice." Inuyasha cracked his knuckles rather loudly. "Excuse me for a minute, I have to go and play with Kouga for a little while. You women go out into the club until I say otherwise." He walked over to the door and left, going to the spare room near his office to lecture Kouga about what his rules are for while whistling the same tune Miroku was when he had walked in.

Miroku grinned a very large grin as he stared at the women. Kagome just looked at him as arrogance practically spilled from him. _How creepy…_"Uhh…Sango, what's he so happy about?"

Sango groaned and buried her face deep within her hands, almost shrinking with embarrassment. "Third in command gets to escort the second in command wherever they go. In other words, he's getting cocky because he gets to lead us into the club."

"Why? Is that one of Inuyasha's rules?"

"He did it for the Hentai's amusement." 

"Yes…" Miroku hooked his arms around each of the girls. "And now we get to go out. Let's go, ladies."

Sango elbowed him. "Arms only, Hentai." Miroku then sluggishly put his arms around each of their elbows, instead of their waists. Kagome sighed but went along with it as he led them out the doors and into the club. She truly couldn't wait to see what it was like out there…

*~*~*^_^*~*~*

Kagome shivered absently. She couldn't help it, although she highly wished she hadn't. Ever since she entered the room, she got a lot of stares from all of the other men in the club while Miroku led them over to a bar. She took note that there had to be over fifty people here, and she was not surprised to see that all of their outfits consisted of black leather coats and dangerous weapons. Of course, none of them looked as dangerous or as mean as Inuyasha, but they did their share of sending chills down her spine.

Miroku basically made them sit on the bar stools as he ordered them a round of margaritas. He smirked at Kagome. "I hope you drink."

Kagome snorted. _Drink? I _invented_ the word alcohol. _"Please. I have been a rich girl with problems all my life. The minute I turned twenty one I bought my own bar."

Sango smiled brightly and rose her drink in the air for cheers. "That's good, cause at our bar they don't serve water like other places do."

"Trust me, I can drink four or five margaritas and still not be drunk or drowsy."

"Ok." Sango observed carefully as a man sat on the stool beside Kagome. He began to stare at her and look her over like some object, and Kagome found her hands burning to smack him or something…anything to get him to quit staring at her like that. "You are the newest gang member?"

She sighed. _I can't believe this…_Miroku and Sango looked mildly amused as they watched. "Yes, weren't you listening to Inuyasha?"

"You don't look very dangerous."

"Just ask Kouga how dangerous I am."

"So you hit him once in the nose…that doesn't mean you're dangerous."

"I fucking knocked him out the second time. He's tied up and Inuyasha is talking to him right now."

The man laughed whole-heartedly and ordered himself a beer. Kagome glanced at Sango and Miroku for help. She mouthed at Sango for permission to hit him, and Sango nodded with a response, the sight of 'are you kidding me' in her eyes. She mouthed 'only if he pushes his luck', which Miroku backed up with a sly smirk of approval. The bastard of a gangster was about to be beaten by a girl that didn't _look_ very dangerous.

Kagome stared at the man who was now drinking like his life depended on it. He wasn't very big, she knew she could knock him out with a precise blow to the face. She just waited for him to make the mistake.

"You're so little, I could break your back by bending you over my knee. Why in the hell would Inuyasha make you his left hand?"

She clenched her fist. That did it…"Because."

"Because why, little missy?"

Kagome blew bangs out of her face. "Because of this." She turned, grabbing his collar to twist him in his seat and punched him hard in the nose, knocking him off his stool and onto the ground. Everyone turned their attention to the scene before them and glanced at the woman at the bar, almost in disbelief. Kagome just rubbed her wrist and grinned at the man on the ground, sighing with relief. "Man that felt good..."

Miroku smiled and patted her shoulder as they turned around to their drinks. "Very good, Kagome, I think you'll fit right in. Nobody has even dared to hit that one before."

Sango grinned. "Everyone has to believe your Inuyasha's left hand now. That's exactly what I would have done, only I would have done it right after he said he could break your back."

Kagome took a sip of her margarita and mused silently to herself, knowing that people were still staring at her. Was it really that surprising that she could kick some ass occasionally? "Sango?"

"Yea?"

"Did the gang give you the look when you joined and became second in command?"

Sango laughed and moved off her stool to sit right next to Kagome. "It was worse. Before I joined, Inuyasha kept females away from the group. He said they were weak and inferior. Well, Miroku and I started dating, and I came to a few meetings, and when he mentioned something about how I was female, I socked him in the nose and he decided to change his mind."

Kagome giggled at the picture that formed in her head and took two more sips of her drink. Miroku looked around himself carefully, almost warily. "You may have to deal with a few more members, Kagome, just so you know. Their glares and stares are rather intense."

Kagome shrugged. "You know, Inuyasha told them to leave me alone, and I know how to use a gun."

"True."

Suddenly, her cell phone rang, and everyone got quiet as she answered. "Hello?"

"It's Inuyasha, I want you in my office, now."

"K." She hung up and got off her seat, looking back at Sango. "I'll be back." She took off to go up the stairs in the fastest pace she could without falling on her face and completely ruining her well won reputation.

Miroku sighed, shaking his head as he watched her leave. "What do you think he wants?"

"Probably for her to answer a few questions. Either that, or to make fun of her, but knowing him it could be both."

"Ah, I see..."

Kagome was outside his door and sighed deeply before entering. She mentally slapped herself. _What the hell are you worried for, Higurashi? He's just a smart ass that won't kill you because you're too valuable to the gang. _She swallowed her pride and knocked carefully, hearing him snort rather loudly on the inside. "If I called you just walk in!" He shouted. She shrugged and opened the door to reveal Inuyasha looking through an assortment of leather coats on hangers. He turned and stared at her. _Wow, those eyes…and they belong to the most arrogant jerk I've ever met. _"Well, are you going to come in or stand there all day?"

She smiled and stepped in, closing the door loudly behind her. She walked closer to Inuyasha with her arms crossed tightly over her chest. "You called?"

"Yea, I got some coats for you to try on. These were some that Sango could have had, but she's too damn picky."

Kagome smiled, containing a grin that wanted to spring forward. She really liked his attitude..."Hmm…ok."

He picked up a bundle of coats and handed her the first one off the pile. "Just try them on and make sure they are the right size, first. I don't want to waste my time helping some chick try on coats."

Kagome rolled her eyes and took the coat from him, slipping it on and watching the end fall to her ankles. It was heavy, but not something that she couldn't handle as she walked around and moved in it. She looked on the inside and noted how it had inner pockets that were small slits, hard to see against the black of the coat. Her outer pockets were huge; big enough for her to fit her gun inside. She decided she liked this coat a lot and almost wanted to leave it on.

"So?" 

"It fits. Do all the coats have inner pockets?"

"Psh, duh. If you are part of my gang, you're going to have a dress code, and your coats have to have inner pockets to hide things in." He took that coat off her shoulders and handed her another one. "You need to try them all on, then pick the one you like. Unless, little rich girl, you'd like to buy your own."

Kagome rolled her eyes and suppressed the first comment that came to her mind. She put on the next leather coat. It was a little lighter than the last, with all the pockets and buttons down the front. The only thing different was that this coat went to her knees, making her look a little more feminine. "This is the shortest coat I've seen here on anyone."

He grinned. His eyes flashed with something but Kagome couldn't tell what. "It'd make you look more like a business slut again." 

She glared at him and jerked the coat off her shoulders, grabbing the next one he held out for her. After trying on at least five coats, she decided she wanted the one with zippers on the pockets and down the front. It went down to her ankles, and naturally she made that a necessity. No one, not even the gang leader of the gang she was in, was going to call her a business slut. She was no longer that, and she wanted to make that as clear as possible to everyone.

"I like this coat. Can I have this one?"

"By all means, take it. It's not like I'll ever wear it."

"I'd be shocked to find that you would wear such a feminine coat, Inuyasha." She smiled and looked down at the ground as she messed with her coat. Inuyasha's keen eyes and sense of smell didn't miss the fact that she had been nervous when she had come into the room, and he had every intention of getting it out of her. If he were correct, his ego would probably blow full blast with the knowledge that she was afraid of him. "What are you so nervous about?"

"Nothing."

"I don't take to kindly to lying, bitch, now spill it. What the fuck worried you so much?"

Kagome looked down and closed her eyes. _I suppose that is fair enough. I'm dealing with a damn demon that can tell when I'm lying…damn, I need to read up on this again._ "I thought I might have been in trouble."

He chuckled. _She's such a liar, she is too afraid of me!_ "Why would you have been in trouble?"

"I, uh…"

He growled. "Tell me now cause you ain't leaving until you do."

"I knocked out a guy downstairs when he bugged the hell out of me. Sango and Miroku were sitting right there, too, so if you need witnesses…"

"What planet are you fucking from?"

"Huh?"

"Listen, _sweetie_, this is a gang and I expect fighting to keep people in order. It only pisses me off if the entire gang gets into it, and the top people haven't tried to stop it."

"Oh, well I've heard rumors that you kill many of your own members as a mild form of entertainment, so I didn't know how extreme you were about that sort of thing…"

He snorted and crossed his arms tightly over his chest. "Keh…You women are weird. Always worrying for no fucking reason."

"Oh yea? What happened to your reputation? You slap around women when they ask annoying questions? Why wouldn't I be nervous!"

"I thought you said you weren't scared of me."

"Being nervous does not mean you're scared."

"It does in my book."

"Well, its not, so get used to it."

"Psh, it is too!"

"Is not!"

"Is _too_, damn it!"

"Is not! Is not, is not, is not!"

He growled and slammed his fist on his desk. "Yes, it _is_ you stupid whore!"

"You are so childish."

He smirked. "And you are a bitch."

"Cocky bastard."

"Tasteless whore."

"Tasteless? Who says I don't like the black clothes that you put us in?"

He was speechless. That one caught him off guard. He was perfectly ready with a retort, too… "What?"

She jabbed her finger in his chest, getting a little closer than intended. "You have no idea how my life has been, Inuyasha. Do you think it was easy being the richest girl in the state? My father picked me out designers, clothing, and make up; everything that I have ever had was never my choice. I never even got to choose what I had for dinner! I do have my own money account, but there were limits to what I could buy. My likes and dislikes were picked out for me when I was born. Until now, I have never, ever, been my own person, and I do honestly like your dangerous attire. And I hope you don't have a problem with that, because calling me tasteless is just taunting yourself."

That's it, he was completely rendered speechless, which he didn't like at all. A knock came on the door and he sighed with relief. _Saved!_ He pointed at her. "Go stand behind my desk like a left hand person should." She nodded and stood behind his desk chair while he popped open the door. She made sure to cross her arms because she didn't like looking vulnerable anymore. No point in appearing like a feminine woman when you were supposed to back the boss up on anything and everything.

Of all people, Sesshomaru entered the room with Rin by his side, and Inuyasha growled menacingly as he backed up a few steps. It became clear to Kagome that this man was not trusted by Inuyasha…therefore, she would hate him, too. "You fucking bastard, did I invite you in?"

"No, I invited myself." Miroku and Sango looked completely nervous and they walked in after him, giving Inuyasha the 'we tried but failed miserably' look. They followed him in and closed the door behind them, standing like guards near the door and preparing for any possible outcome just like Inuyasha had taught them.

Inuyasha backed himself over near the desk and stood directly in front of it. "Can I help you?" He asked sarcastically.

Sesshomaru sat in the leather chair and made himself completely comfortable. His gaze settled on Kagome and he stared at her, making her feel nervous. He was clearly wondering of his situation with her, and she knew that somehow he was picturing her with a noose around her neck.

Inuyasha made his way around the desk and sat in his chair, leaning back and putting his feet up to help draw the attention of his brother. "Sesshomaru, what's your fucking reason for bursting into my club like this?"

He slowly turned his gaze at Inuyasha, awakened out of his trance. "I warned you, Inuyasha, about Kagome Higurashi. And what's this? You've made her part of your little gang?"

"What's it to ya?"

He smirked evilly. "That wench now has a price on her head. Her father is desperate to see her again. Are you aware of that?"

"Would it have been any better if you had taken her first?"

"Her father would at least know that she's alive. He is starting to believe she is dead, but the price is large for anyone who can bring her back alive."

Inuyasha leaned forward and smiled very fakely at his brother. "And what are you going to do about it? She's here with me, in this club, and she's become a gang member. Let me assure you that it was willingly on her part, and I won't be taking her back. If that's all you've come to say, then get the fuck out."

"I'm not finished yet, Inuyasha. I wonder if we could make a deal."

He snorted with disbelief. Sesshomaru never dealt without a big consequence, and he really didn't see any reason to start thinking otherwise. "A _deal_?"

"I will pay you a great deal of money for her, or we could trade off from one of my lower people."

Inuyasha grinned. His brother unknowingly lost that bet the minute he had stepped into the office. "Heh, no deal, now get the fuck out."

"Might I remind you that all I have to do is let her father know where she's at and I'll still get the money for her?"

Kagome tensed and both of the brothers felt it. She mentally cursed as Sesshomaru stood and stared at her coldly. "You don't want to go home, do you wench? You don't want me to send you back into that hell hole?"

Kagome hands inched down towards her gun. She didn't answer him, just glared at him.

Inuyasha stood up and leaned on the desk, growling loudly. "Leave her the fuck alone, Sesshomaru. There will be no deals made, so get the hell out."

He smirked and Rin pulled out her gun, pointing it at Kagome. "Then we'll kill her and say you did it. With your badass reputation, they'll have to believe me."

Sango and Miroku had their guns drawn and pointed at the backs of their heads. "Shoot and so will we." Sango stated professionally.

Sesshomaru and Rin turned and glanced at them, which left enough time for Inuyasha and Kagome to pull their guns. Kagome pointed hers at Rin and Inuyasha pointed his at his brother, getting their attention once again. Sesshomaru exhaled carefully in defeat and pushed Rin's gun down with his hand. "Rin, put away your gun. It seems we are outnumbered. I forget part of my brother's dress code involves having your gun with you at all times."

Kagome almost smiled. Holding the gun like this felt really good, and it filled her with all sorts of power. She took a small glance at Sesshomaru before making her next statement so that the message was clear. "I'm sorry, Sesshomaru, but I don't want to go home. I like it here, and I intend to keep it that way."

"Why would you want to stay here with my worthless brother? You've got no reason to stay here."

"I owe your 'worthless' brother. Now you should get the hell out like he said."

Sesshomaru widened his eyes at her and smiled, getting a much wanted growl in response from Inuyasha. "This isn't over, Kagome Higurashi. I can guarantee it." He grabbed Rin's arm and turned to go out the door, letting Miroku and Sango slam it childishly behind them.

Kagome sighed with relief and put the safety back on her gun, sticking it in her new coat pocket. Inuyasha stared at the door for a minute as if making sure they were really gone. After his instincts told him the coast was clear, he turned around and headed back to his desk. After propping his feet up, he started polishing his gun with a cloth out of his desk, acting strangely and unnervingly calm. "Sango, Miroku, come over here, please."

Both of them sheathed their guns and nervously walked over to the desk. When Inuyasha used polite words like please and thank you, that meant that he was thoroughly pissed off and could rip heads off at any second. However, he never looked away from his gun. "Tell me how the hell that happened, and if you leave anything out you'll be able to tell me if there's a Kami or not."

Sango swallowed. "Sesshomaru just burst to the club."

"He knocked Shippo out…" Miroku added.

"…and when we attempted to stop him, he just started up the stairs and we couldn't stop him."

Inuyasha slammed his fist on the counter, biting his tongue to keep his temper under control. "And why didn't anyone warn me? I could have been downstairs and stopping him before he came into this goddamn office!"

Miroku cleared his throat and eyed Inuyasha. "Um, actually, Inuyasha, I attempted to call your cell phone, but after hearing what appeared to be yelling noises you probably couldn't hear it."

Inuyasha's eyes shot up and glared at Miroku. He reached down and pulled his cell phone off his pants to observe the missing call alert that was indeed there. Standing, he turned and glared at Kagome with a growl. "Well, bitch, look what you did! Thanks to your loud mouth, I couldn't fucking hear my own cell phone!"

Kagome turned and smacked the desk really hard, pointing at him with an angry expression and getting right up in his face. "You know what you stupid bastard? Everything is my fucking fault, ok? 'Oh gee, its raining outside, it must be Kagome's fault!', or how about 'The stocks are way down this month, oh that must be Kagome's fault, too!'. I'll just take the blame for everything and save you people fucking time!"

Sango cleared her throat while the boys just stared clueless, and in Inuyasha's case, rapidly glaring. "Kagome, I think you should calm down…"

"Well I think you should shut the hell up, Sango." She checked her watch and met Inuyasha's glare. His eyes seemed strangely watching her, almost as if heading to a silent warning in his head. "I'll make everything easier on you, ok?" She pulled off her phone and unattached her chains, removing everything that he had just given her today and started setting them on his desk in one large pile. She even prepared to take the coat off her shoulders.

He grabbed her hands with no effort and snorted while she struggled to get them back. Her scent was spiking with each angry breath she took. He found it strangely intriguing…"What the fuck are you doing?" He asked in a bored tone. If she was thinking about leaving, she was _terribly _wrong. She wouldn't succeed in going anywhere, that much he knew for certain. He didn't make his choices lightly, _ever,_ and she would soon find that out.

"I'm giving you everything you need back except for your gun, and then I'm going to make your life easier. If I'm not in this gang, I can't get blamed for anything."

He suppressed his laughter, but it ended up coming out as a snort. "You're ridiculous."

"I don't know why you care. You obviously hate me. I'm just a tool to piss your brother off! Well maybe if I hurry I can catch him and he can return me to my lousy life!"

Inuyasha's eyes flashed with an unknown emotion as he gripped her upper arms tightly, lifting her with his knee between her legs and steering with her arms. He forced her down on the desk in a rather odd position, with him pressing her down and her back on the desk, feet hanging completely off. He moved so quickly that it was clear that he had done it before many times, and she was very relieved that he had finally moved his knee or she would have probably smacked him. 

He moved to straddle her so that she didn't move while he made his message perfectly clear. Besides, he had to admit, it was always fun to put women in this position when they were angry. It was somehow erotic to him and always had been…like catching your prey after a long hunt.

She stared angrily up at him while he scowled down at her. He had her arms pinned awkwardly above her head, making it harder to glare at him than she thought. She was vulnerable in this position, so naturally it made her feel weak…like she _had_ to submit to him…

It'd be a cold day in hell before Kagome admitted defeat.

He, on the other hand, couldn't be having more fun. He wouldn't let her know that, of course, but silently he played a happy tune in his head. _There's nothing like satisfying part of your demon when he badly wants to kill something, but seeing an angry woman beneath you certainly does the trick_.

He narrowed his eyes at her, and as he growled his chains rattled against the desk. "_You_ are _not_ going anywhere, second in command."

Kagome just stared at him; not sure what to do or say while he basically sat on her. She was becoming more and more aware of the position he had put her in, but due to her arrogance she kept her angry look plastered on her face. She silently prayed that this dangerously handsome man didn't shift or she would probably end up making a very strange and unwanted noise because of the close contact. _Damn hormones…_

Sango and Miroku eyed each other out of nervousness, very aware of the position that they were in and hoping that Inuyasha knew what he was doing. They figured there was a possibility he did, because he did everything with a reason. This, however, seemed to be strictly a spur of the moment thing.

Inuyasha continued to glare down at her. "I made you second in command for a reason, and I'll be fucking damned if I let you go anywhere. You have responsibilities here, and if I have to make it so that you never leave my sight to make sure you do them, then damn it I will."

Kagome sighed, looking anywhere but his face. _Why the hell did he have to get so close to me?_ "I don't get it, Inuyasha." She returned her gaze to him. "You kidnapped me, called me many names and you obviously hate me, and now I want to make it all easier on you and you won't let me leave. Sango is your real second in command. I'm just her replacement."

He growled loudly and put them almost nose-to-nose, which was _way_ out of Kagome's comfort range. "I told you that you were my other second in command, that makes you my fucking left hand! You aren't going anywhere!"

"Why not? WHY THE HELL DO YOU CARE!"

He put one hand on her mouth to silence her as his ears plastered down to his head. After he scowled and shook his head to relieve the tingling in his ears, he released her. "It doesn't matter why, you aren't going anywhere and you _will_ get used to it." He leaned back with his hands still on her arms. While making sure that she didn't move, he reached over to her chains and phone, putting the phone back on her waistband and hooking her chains back on her belt loops. Then he lifted her up using her hands as steers again and after literally climbing out of her lap, he gripped her hip and turned her around, putting the wallets back in her back pockets.

Kagome just sat there staring down at the floor, waiting until he was done helping her like a child until she moved. She glared at him when he pulled back and waited, never letting her hands go, holding them directly above her head as if he didn't trust her. She realized that probably hit the nail on the head.

Kagome sighed. She still couldn't understand this strange man, but she knew she would never find out anything…even if she wanted to. _Then again,_ she wondered, _I want to know why did he put me in that strange position just to prove a point…_

Inuyasha sighed loudly. _Why the fuck does this woman have to be so damn difficult?_ He let go of her arms and watched as she rubbed her wrists slightly, still sitting on the desk. No intention of moving yet, at least not while his knee was still up on the desk near her. She looked at him and waited for his comments. She wanted an argument, an insult, anything to break that stupid awkward silence that almost had her twiddling her thumbs.

He intensified his gaze on her. "Now, you aren't going to attempt to get away, right?" His words were slow as if talking to a child. She really hated that…

Instead of commenting, she sighed and shook her head. "No, Inuyasha."  
"Good, cause it'd be worthless. I'd just sniff you down and drag you back."

"Yes, I know Inuyasha."

He eyed her carefully, preparing to say something else when Sango interrupted. "Inuyasha, she's not going anywhere, so leave her alone."

He snorted and glared at her, backing off the desk and hitting the floor with a clinking noise as his chains rattled. He sat down in the chair and rubbed his eyes, directing his voice towards Miroku. "Miroku, you are in charge of my defensive system, and next time that bastard is anywhere on my property, I want to know about it and I want Kagome hidden somewhere if I'm not here, _is that clear_?"

"Yes, Inuyasha. Next time, though, would you like me to call your cell phone or push my emergency button?"

Inuyasha shook his head and glared up at the monk-like man. "It doesn't matter to me, just alert my ass! I do not want him taking her! That will be my top priority."

Kagome crossed her arms and mumbled something softly enough that Inuyasha couldn't make it out, and instantly angry, he glared up at her. "Repeat that."

She looked at him, knowing there was no point in lying. "You just don't want him taking me because it's a childish game to you."

He growled and stood, directing one clawed finger to be pointed at her. "Let's get one thing straight, _bitch_. Members of our gang look out for each other, and yes, even care about each other, with the exception of Kouga. You'd be better off with us, more _useful_ with us, and that's why you're not going anywhere!"

"Fine."

"I'm glad you fucking understand." He looked at his watch and twitched his ears. "Sango, you and Kagome go to the apartment and get some sleep, it's almost dawn. I want the two of you back in my office by noon, and _don't_ make me come looking for you."

Sango nodded. "Yes, Inuyasha." She grabbed Kagome's hand and dragged her off the desk, leading her out of the room and to their apartment.

"Damn, can that woman throw a fit…" Inuyasha started rubbing his eyes again and Miroku sat down in the leather chair opposite of him. "Now that it's just us, Inuyasha, please answer my question."

"What?"

"What are you doing with Kagome?"

He sighed so deeply, he felt his lungs would pop under the pressure of releasing the air. "I knew you'd ask that…" He mumbled against his hand. "I don't know, Miroku. It's a weird feeling, but she belongs with us, and _only_ with us. I just can't stand the thought of my brother getting his hands on her."

"I would like to point out that that move you used on her just now only happens to a person you've known for a while. Can you explain what happened on the desk just now?"

He looked up carefully, just now realizing how sexual that position must have seemed to her and appeared to Miroku and Sango. His brain rattled with hundreds of unheard excuses, so he randomly picked one like out of the hat. "I guess that I wanted to show her who was boss. I mean it; I don't want her to leave. You had better remember that." 

He stood and bent down over the desk, using his hands to prop himself up. "And you and Sango are to help me keep a close eye on her. Tell that to Sango before you go to bed tonight. I ain't taking no fucking chances with her getting away and my brother getting a hold of her."

"So you just don't want her to go home altogether?"

He sighed. Never once had he felt so unselfish in his life, but he just had to keep her here. He just couldn't let anything happen to her. It was the most annoying feeling that he'd ever had in his long life, but he couldn't explain it for the life of him. "I don't want her to have a dull life. Sounds to me that she hates being controlled as much as I do." He said quietly. Then after a discussion about the club, he excused Miroku so he could sit and ponder about the strange feelings that he had for this girl. Sure, she was a challenge, and great one at that. She knew how to throw tantrums and get her way, that was for sure. 

But something bothered him deeply. He was kind to her, a lot more patient than he would have ever been normally. Any other person and they would have been dead a long time ago. He scowled. Some human female shouldn't make him feel this way. He had long ago vowed he wouldn't feel anything for another human in his life after his mother had died. 

But what he hated most had to be his patience. He hated being as nice as he was being, and not to mention his patience had gone higher than any skyscraper with her, when it normally would have shot through the ceilings of hell.

*~*~*^_^*~*~*

(A/N-hoped you liked that chapter! Kagome's growing on Inuyasha, ne?)


	4. First Job Failed

Disclaimer- Still don't own Inuyasha.

(A/N-Thank you for all the great reviews! And Briar, thank you for giving me that tip! I would have never thought of that, but Kagome chooses not to fight with Inuyasha for obvious reasons…she still doesn't know him that well enough to trust that he's not going to kill her. She's cautious by nature………)

  
(This is my first fanfiction and I'm still learning the ropes and everything, so don't get mad at me.)

(ALSO- I know that everyone likes how the story is going so far, so I'd like to point out that some things happen within the next few chapters that may confuse you a little, or seem completely odd. Trust me, they are just to get a few things out of the way, and all the action and violence and cursing will still happen. They will still pull jobs and everything, and as I have said oh so many boring times that everything I do serves an ultimate purpose, so please don't flame me for it. Thank you ^_^)

Chances are, Inuyasha is going to reveal himself very soon.

****

Chapter four- The first job failed

"Kagome! Get your ass up now! We're going to be late!"

Kagome opened her eyes to the literally screaming Sango, who was ripping clothes out of her closet and tossing them on the floor in her desperate search. Thinking it was way to early for this, she groaned and rubbed her eyes, sitting up half way slowly in the bed. Glancing at the clock, it was currently 11:55 in the morning.

Wait…

Kagome panicked as she sat up instantly in the bed. "Shit, Sango! You were supposed to wake me up a long time ago!"

"I know, I know! I accidentally fell asleep on the couch, and Miroku's pounding woke me up. Come on, we've got to get you ready."

"Miroku?" She asked as she was frantically putting on the clothes that Sango threw at her.

"He's sitting in our living room. Had he not come along, we would have woken up to the very impatient poundings of Inuyasha. Or our door bursting down, but it depends on his mood. He'll expect us to be on time, and if we are even five minutes late, he'll become one pissed off Hanyou and he'll run to retrieve us."

"Not to mention he'll probably punish you." 

Kagome yipped at the sound of Miroku in her doorway and quickly moved to cover herself with the closest article of clothing she could grab. Since she was still dressing, Sango turned to look at him with a very pissed off look that clearly said he was about to die. "Miroku! You fucking Hentai!" She stomped over to the door and grabbed his ears, jerking him down to his knees as he 'owed' his way down.

"Sango, please! I'm sorry, but I thought I'd see if I could help! Honest!"

"What the fuck could you have possibly done, Miroku? Help her fit into a bra!"

"Shit, I was thinking more along the lines of helping her with her chains and coat!"

Kagome sighed after adjusting her pants. "Let him help, Sango, I'm dressed now."

Sango hit him once hard over the back of his head for good measure. "You keep your hands in appropriate places or I'll maul you, is that clear?"

"Crystal…"

They proceeded over to her chains and all the other things she wore while she put in her earrings and fixed her hair up into your basic ponytail. Miroku attached the chains on her pants while Sango clipped on her cell phone and knife. Miroku then handed her the leather coat, and Sango stuck the emergency alert button into her front pocket. Her gun still rested in the coat pocket, and despite his hectic downfall a few moments before he sighed with relief. "You still have three minutes left."

Kagome walked over to her mirror, applied eyeliner, lipstick, and some foundation before she was finished. "Alright, let's go." She was out the door, almost eager to go get moving and see what the day had in store for her.

Miroku and Sango were right behind her, hurrying out the door and over to the warehouse with the fastest pace they had closest to a jog. Miroku had to start a conversation because he grew nervous at the silence, and when he was nervous, he made Sango nervous. He didn't like that much because she took her nervousness out on him. "How do you feel today, Kagome?"

"Fine, why?"

"Well, after everything that happened yesterday…"

"Look, I'm not going to run, I'm not going to kill anyone, and Sesshomaru will not get me, alright? I'm going to stay with the gang and be his left hand along with Sango, and if that's how he fucking wants it then that's how it will be." She never turned around while touching the top of her head to make sure of something. "Shit, I forgot my sunglasses."

Sango reached up and handed them to her from out of her pocket, receiving a weak thank you. "I saw them sitting by your mirror, so I grabbed them on the way out."

Kagome smiled and nodded. Once they hit the door, she pounded as hard as she could and Shippo opened a little door at the top with a frustrated sigh. "Names?"

"Kagome, Sango and Miroku."

"Gotcha." Shippo unlocked the door and opened it, slamming it after they had all entered and proceeded up the stairs. After heading through the abnormally quiet club, Kagome decided to ask questions that she would rather not ask Inuyasha by call of her instincts. "Miroku, why didn't they do that last night?"

"During the day is when Inuyasha seems more vulnerable because most of his men are asleep. He's what the New Yorker's call a shadow worker. He only likes to work at night, even though he never really sleeps." 

"Thank you for that info."

"No prob."

Sango took the lead at the top of the stairs to cut Kagome off. "Keep this in mind, Kagome. When Inuyasha expects you, don't knock cause it pisses him off. His ears are very sensitive to everything."

"K."

They entered the office to a pacing Inuyasha, dressed in his normal attire, except for additional chains that made his steps even more urgent. He turned to stare at them with the 'what the hell took you so long?' look when they entered. "Bout damn time. Kagome, you ready for your first job?"

"Whatcha got?"

"It involves all four of us, today, so listen carefully." He walked over to his desk and grabbed some of the mess of papers in his chair, turning and slamming them down on the desk. The three others near him moved up and gathered around the desk while he revealed what appeared to be a map of a large. 

"Ok, here's the deal. My scopers have revealed that they brought the very latest in micro-technology to this place on main street, and Miroku and Sango, I don't have to pressure you on how much this thing means to me. We've waited for months for it to come in." 

Inuyasha glanced up to make sure everything was processing and sighed. "It's that damn warehouse. The one that looks like no one is ever inside it."

Sango smirked happily. "Isn't that the one you thought to raid soon, just for the hell of it?"

"Yea, but it looks like it's plenty busy, now." He glanced up at Kagome and pulled out a picture from a file. He handed it to her carefully. "This is what we're after." She glanced carefully at the picture and cocked and eyebrow. It didn't look like much…It looked to be the same size as a regular little kids block, but it was encased in a black metal. 

Inuyasha picked up a paper and began to read it carefully as he continued to lecture. "I know it doesn't look like much, but this little piece of metal could get us locked on to every computer in the world and give us complete access to government codes. It's exactly what we need."

Kagome scratched her head. _I wonder…_ "That looks like the thing my dad was developing."

All of them stared at her, completely shocked, and she almost scooted away from Inuyasha. He made her slightly uncomfortable when he stared at her, but she'd never admit it. "I'm guessing you want to get some government passwords because this device is supposed to link up and crack any computer and its codes, anywhere in the world."

"Well, Kagome, you certainly know your technology. Do you know _how_ this thing unlocks everything?"

"I'd have to look at it and show you, but I can figure almost anything like that out."

Inuyasha nodded his approval. "Good, then we can use you. Sorry, but we'll be disrespecting your family name by taking it."

Kagome snorted. "I'm _in_ my family and I'm about to help you."  
Miroku looked up at his boss to get back on track. "Alright, then what's the game plan?"

Inuyasha shook his head to move the bangs out of his face. "I'm still trying to think. Now we have two females, but one of them has to stay with me. So since I'm keeping an eye on Kagome, I'm thinking that she and I will be the ones who go in after it and you two stay out and give us all our info on the outside world. That alright with you two?"

They nodded quickly. Sango pointed at the map to a second story room. "This is most likely where they'll keep it. If you go in there blowing heads off, though, the cops will be there faster than your computer's access to the internet."

"I know that." He reached into his pocket and pulled out tranquilizer darts, holding it up to the light. "These will put them out for hours. If we can get in there and shoot without being seen by them then we won't have any problems."

"You need to hide your hair, Inuyasha."

"Look, you worry about yourselves. I know what I'm doing. This isn't the first time I've pulled a job, and I don't intend on fucking it up." He looked at Kagome carefully, a light smirk playing on his features. "I don't know about you, though…You think you can handle all this?"

She stared dully at him and nodded. "Do I get to shoot people?"

"Maybe, with the tranquilizers."

"Good." She almost laughed at a sudden thought. _Inuyasha_, _using_ _tranquilizers_? _He's known for leaving a bloody mess everywhere he goes._

Inuyasha stared at her, trying to read that look in her eyes. "What?" He asked harshly.

"Don't take this the wrong way, Inuyasha, but you don't seem like the type who does things the neat way. You seem more like the type that goes in and blows everything up while spreading as much blood as possible."

He huffed and stared at her with an intensifying gaze. "I want people to think of me as the bloodthirsty type, and trust me, I love getting my hands dirty every once in a while. But doing things the neat way takes off some of the excuses the cops use to try and get me. You ok with that?"

"Sure."

"Ok, then here's the plan…" Inuyasha went on describing to the group how they would accomplish their mission. It took at least an hour for them to get it completely straight, and by that time everyone had an earache from being yelled at and lectured. Of course, Inuyasha could have kept his mouth running for another hour or so, but he decided that they needed to get going before the sun set today.

Afterwards, everyone split up to get ready to go. Inuyasha gave them the limit of thirty minutes, and they had to have their guns loaded with the darts and everything by that time or they'd have another hour lecture about why he did things the way he did. His group of high people had to be the most trusted, Kagome noticed, because Sango and Miroku claimed that he would kill them if they were late.

Sango and Kagome went into the bathroom to get ready. Kagome's hair had been braided into a lovely French braid to keep it out of the way and make it less identifiable to the enemy. Sango had explained that Inuyasha, on very rare occasions, might even have her wear a mask once they got in, so it shouldn't really be a problem.

The more Sango talked about their missions, though, the more Kagome wanted to be involved. The life of crime seemed to be so much more interesting than law and order. Kagome couldn't figure out why she let her father talk her into being a lawyer in the first place. Sango said that they didn't worry about the cops that much because they were all afraid of the gang leader, and Kagome flat out told her that if she had known it was like this she would have punched Inuyasha's face a long time ago.

Kagome had to put a strange silencer on the barrel of her gun and loaded it with all the darts, putting the remaining in her front coat pocket. It was decided long ago that they would still go in with their bad attitudes, so naturally, since Inuyasha was wearing his leather coat Kagome would as well. Her leather coat and sunglasses along with the ensemble made her totally unrecognizable from the rich Kagome Higurashi, but it made her look as dangerous as she felt she truly was now.

"Sango?"

"Yep?"

"How many jobs have you pulled?"

"We pull usually one once a week, but we hadn't done one in a while. And I have only worked along side Inuyasha personally a few times. Consider yourself lucky, because he's a perfectionist and doesn't usually let _anyone_ work with him." 

"Psh, he's only making me because he doesn't trust me."

"No, I think there's more to it than that, I think he _does_ trust you and he _wants_ you to accompany him. Don't worry about it until after the mission, though." Sango handed her another black handgun. "Here, load this one, too. It'll be your second gun from now on."

"Wow, thanks."

"It's a gift from Inuyasha. He told me to make sure you got it."

Kagome almost smiled. _The great Inuyasha gave me a gift…_She shrugged and put a silencer on it as well, and then packed the six tranquilizers in, checked the safety, and lifted it to feel the lightness and mobility. She now had her weapons, and with the addition of Sango putting the sunglasses down for her, they were ready to go.

A quiet tapping came at the door and Sango shook her head. He was being quiet so Inuyasha didn't get angry about all the noise, his sensitive ears being hard enough for him as it is. "He's such a chicken…Miroku?"

"Yep. Inuyasha says hurry up." 

"We're done and coming." Sango looked Kagome over one last time and then opened the door, walking out with Miroku eyeing both women carefully. "Wow Kagome, you look like that chick off of the Matrix."

"Uh, thanks?"

Sango made him yip with a pinch to his arm. "Don't even look at other women, because the way you eye them makes my blood boil."

"Uh…sure, sweetie, whatever you say."

"Come on, people, the limo's waitin." Inuyasha stood with a completely different look, and Kagome almost stopped dead in her tracks. You couldn't see his silver hair anymore; it was wrapped up and lost in a black beanie that read, "beware of dog" in red letters. His sunglasses were a darker shade so that even _his_ eyes couldn't be seen, but his coat was still there, along with leather gloves that hid his very violent claws. 

Both Kagome and Inuyasha had removed their chains to avoid noises. They still had their emergency buttons and cell phones, and of course their knives and guns. The gloves were used mostly because Inuyasha had informed Kagome that they didn't want to leave fingerprints anywhere that the police could find them.

Sango and Miroku lead the way down the stairs and Inuyasha walked along side Kagome, still showing her the pictures of the rooms so that she knew some of what she was doing. After a moment of senseless babbling, he handed her an earpiece and decided to explain once again what it was for. "That will be how we talk to Miroku and Sango. I need you to listen for me because my ears are too sensitive for it no matter how low it is." 

At her nod, he reached into his pocket and held up what appeared to be a hand held palm pilot, but there were no buttons or stick to control it like a little computer. "Miroku and Sango can take pictures and send them to us, so if they tell you to look at the screen, do it and make sure to show me."

Kagome nodded again and took the pilot, putting it in her other front pocket for safe keeping. "I can't talk back to them?"

"I'm going to do the talking, you do the listening. That's why I said if they call you, tell me."

"Alright."

"Can you carry a briefcase?"

She almost gave him her 'duh' look. She really wondered if he truly thought she was stupid. "Uh, yea."

"Good, you get to carry the little one and I'll carry the bigger one. We might have to deal with technology that'll try to keep us out, so the suitcases will leave us prepared."

She sighed as they hit the bottom of the stairs and he turned to stare at her. "Are you sure you can do this? Don't want to push ya or nothing if you don't think you're tough enough."

"Will everyone quit asking me that? I'm ready, ok! I'll do everything you tell me to."

"Very good, I think you're catching on already." He looked around, thinking of something carefully and apparently making sure that no one saw him do it. Thank goodness that most of his club was at home sleeping this time of the day...he probably wouldn't have the balls to do it otherwise.

With a sigh he reached his arm out for her to latch under his, and not one to fall for anything quickly she raised a confused eyebrow at him. He shook his head and snorted. "Don't be a bitch, it's just a disguise. Besides, I don't bite…hard."

She ignored him, looked forward and saw Miroku and Sango walking outside arm in arm, so she decided _what the hell?_ She grabbed his elbow politely and he led her out the door, calling on his cell phone to tell the limo to be ready as he forced himself to relax.

He still didn't get it…why the hell did she make him so nervous? When he had missions with Sango, he thought nothing of pretending to be something they weren't. She definitely didn't make his stomach clench with the urge to start an unnecessary argument, just to see how angry she got.

He shook all those thoughts from his head. All this worrying for a useless human wench…boy; he'd be up _all_ night thinking about this one.

Miroku talked rather loudly into her earpiece. "Kagome? Can you hear me?"

She poked Inuyasha's arm to receive an irritate grunt and glare from him. "Tell him not so loud."

"Miroku?"

She nodded and he grabbed the mouthpiece on his clothes. "Talk quieter, Hentai, I don't want my left hand going deaf, not unless it's my yelling that causes it."

"Kagome, please tell Inuyasha that I am sorry and I do not appreciate being called Hentai."

Kagome hmphed like she couldn't believe it and glanced at him. He grinned down at her. "Let me guess, he wants me to stop calling him Hentai?" She smiled slightly and nodded. Good thing she didn't have to tell him, she was bored with this conversation already. 

His egotistical grin remained when he phoned in a second time. "Noted. The thing works, just don't yell into the damn piece."

"Gotcha."

They finally got outside and Inuyasha made sure their sunglasses were on so their eyes couldn't be seen. He looked around and noted that not many people were on the streets today, and considering this will be Kagome's first mission, it should prove fairly easy for her. After all, he had been doing stuff like this all his life, and he could easily do the mission while looking out for the rest of the gang at the same time. Of course, when he had done it in the past, the concern for his people had never been as great as the need to make sure Kagome got it right and didn't get hurt.

He mentally cursed himself. This was pathetic to him…why the hell did this girl make him so protective? In fact, why did she make him _anything?_ He felt it was his duty to make sure she was alright, and if something happened to her, he knew that he would be bothered by it his whole life. He didn't know why, he just knew that was what would happen. 

This feeling he didn't understand; he had always been pretty emotionless when it came to harm in his group. Sure, if Sango or Miroku got hurt, he'd be concerned, but it was nothing compared to the responsibility he would feel if Kagome got injured. _Psh, confusing bitch. This is the reason I never wanted women in the club in the first place. They always stir up these damn emotions, even though they can be the best for situations like this_.

He suddenly was brought back to reality by Kagome's arm shaking him lightly. "Inuyasha? Are you _somewhere_ in there?"

"Uh…yea. I just had a sudden thought, that's all." He opened the door of the limo. Sango and Miroku climbed in first, and then he motioned for Kagome to go next. He always got in last; that was his rule. One of the many rules that he did completely out of habit more than anything.

Sango polished up her guns in the seat while Miroku put her headpiece on for her. It made it so that they could hear and talk at the same time, so anything she said could be heard by Kagome. She tested it by talking, and Kagome covered her ears with a wince of pain. "Wow, does this thing have a volume?"

Inuyasha shook his head and glared at Sango. "Same goes for you, Sango. Talk quietly."

She nodded, mumbling quietly to herself. Pulling out her phone, she aimed the back of it at Miroku and hit a button on the side. "Kagome, pull out the palm pilot and push the red button."

Inuyasha smirked. "That would be the _only_ button on the whole thing, deary."

Kagome flipped him off as she continued to dig it out of her pocket. After hitting the button, she observed a clear view of Miroku's face, moving like an old action picture. Inuyasha leaned down and looked as well, making Kagome watch him like a hawk. "It works well. As long as Kagome doesn't break it then it should be fine."

Sango shut off her phone and Kagome hit the red button again, turning off the device and shoving it back into her pocket. Inuyasha looked through the suitcases and handed Kagome hers, staring at her carefully and directing his full attention to her to catch a lie. "Ya nervous?"

"Nope."

"All you have to do is do what I tell you, follow right behind me, maybe shoot the occasional person with the darts, and you'll do fine. But above all, remain as quiet as possible, because everyone becomes so fucking suspicious when they hear noises."

"Ok."

The limo had a phone near the door that rang very loudly, and in order to shut it up Inuyasha answered it. "Yep?" After a few seconds, he smiled. "Ok, thanks." He slammed the phone back down and nodded once at Miroku and Sango, who continued back on with their work. Kagome assumed that meant that they had almost arrived at their destination, but she wasn't about to appear stupid by mentioning anything.

He pulled out his guns and checked them one last time before the limo pulled to a stop. Inuyasha eyed Miroku and Sango first. "You know what to do. Get into your positions and alert Kagome to it."

"Got it." They both replied, setting their sunglasses down on their eyes. Then Inuyasha opened the door and out they went, waiting until they shut the door before the limo pulled away.

Inuyasha had made sure they were a good distance away before suddenly grabbing Kagome's wrist and pulling back her sleeve, exposing her forearm. Kagome didn't question him no matter how much she wanted to yet while she observed him strap on a knife sheathe with another long knife. The hilt faced her hand so she could reach up through her sleeve and grab it with her other hand. The idea was clever, she had to admit. "What's this for? I already have a knife."

"You can never, _ever_ have enough weapons. If one got taken away, you need to have a backup. Always remember that."

"Ok." She stared at him with question. "How many weapons _do_ you have?"

That same cocky grin appeared on his face. "I'd show you, but some of the places that they are hidden are inappropriate."

"Sheesh, they weren't kidding when they said you were dangerous."

"Of course I'm dangerous; my claws alone could take out plenty of people. I just like having weapons because my claws leave fingerprints." He eyed her suspiciously with a sudden thought. "When I burst into your apartment, you saw me draw two knives, but can you tell me where I got them?"

"I thought it looked like you just reached your hands into the opposite sleeve and pulled the knifes out, but you did it so fast that I could be wrong."

Inuyasha's smile was almost warm, and Kagome felt relieved that he could show these emotions. Always good to know that killers have hearts somewhere deep down. "You have a good eye, too. I'll give you that." He fixed her sleeve back into place and then picked up the phone, holding it up to his twitching ears. "Pull over behind the building on the opposite side of the street." and without further to do, he hung up.

She sighed. "So, I'm betting you have a sword on your back. Or a machine gun."

He grinned proudly and nodded. "A sword. The hilt's hidden in my hair."

"You are a lot nicer than your reputation suggests, you know."

He almost seemed to snap with realization. He stared at her, assessing himself carefully and shrugged, uncertain. "I guess with certain people I can have a nice side. You never want to get on my bad side, or you'll end up like Kouga as my personal punching bag."

Kagome giggled. Miroku's voice came over her headphones. "I'm in position."

She looked at Inuyasha. "Miroku's in place."

He nodded and grabbed his microphone on his collar. "Sango, are you almost ready?"

"Yea, almost."

"She's almost ready." Kagome looked out the window when the car stopped, observing the streets around her. He smirked as he watched her, never taking his eyes off her. "Are you getting ancy or something?"

"Well, this _is_ my first job. I'm kind of looking forward to how the gang operates. I am already one of the top members, and I haven't _done_ anything yet."

"When I said that you earned your position I meant it. I have never seen a girl who could hit so hard, or at least, make it seem so hard. Sango did the same thing, only I really felt dizzy with your spike."

The limo pulled to a complete stop outside of the building she presumed was the building they would raid in search of the little box. He absently put a hand on her shoulder for support as he bent down and took a bottle of vodka out of a fridge box near the seat, popping off the lid and taking a rather large swig. He prepared to put it away, but had question in his mind as his arrogant glint came back. He offered it to Kagome. "Want a sip?" He purred.

Kagome had never had vodka before, but by the way his face smirked so evilly, she knew he thought she wouldn't take any. She jerked it away from him and he observed her closely as she took a huge drink. The liquid was foul, but she fought off the distorted look that promised to show itself on her face as she swallowed it down. She pulled it away and swallowed hard to get rid of the taste in her mouth, then put the lid on and handed it back, watching him watch her as he put the drink back into the box.

She wiped off her mouth and looked away, revealing a disgusted face at herself in the window. He chuckled as he set his guns with the safety off in his pockets. "You didn't like it, did you?"

"No one drinks that kind of alcohol for the taste, they drink it for the sting that it gives you on the way down."

He smirked. "So very true. Though I am surprised a little lawyer like you drinks at all."

"I told you how hard my life was. I wasn't exaggerating." Sango's voice came into her headset and she immediately put her hand over her ear, as if that would help her hear better. "I'm ready, but look at your palm pilot before you get out."

Kagome nodded once (even though no one but Inuyasha could see it) and pulled the device out of her pocket, pushing the button and revealing an alley on the screen. In the alley, behind a dumpster was a man smoking a cigarette. He appeared to be a gangster, and had a gun on his belt that was clearly visible. However, compared to Inuyasha, he was definitely not a threat.

Sango whispered into Kagome's earpiece. "He's standing there menacingly, I believe guarding the door. If you shoot him with the dart, chances are he'll be visible to the road and someone will spot him. However, if I approach him, then he could very well shoot me. Not that I'm scared or nothing…" Miroku chuckled over the headset and Sango growled softly instead of yelling. She didn't want to hurt Kagome's ears and piss the strangely protective Inuyasha off.

Kagome told Inuyasha what Sango said and he cursed as he looked at the screen. He gripped his microphone and held it close to his mouth so that it was louder in their ears. "Fuck, he doesn't look _that_ tough. If you don't feel safe shooting him yet, wait for a few minutes before Kagome and I get around there. We'll take him out, and you can hide him by the dumpster while we go in."

"Ok."

Kagome turned off the palm pilot and suddenly felt herself being led by her arm outside. She didn't argue when he latched arms with her again, but after he kicked his limo door shut and it sped off, she wanted badly to question him or curse at him. He held up a finger and silenced her. "Rule number one; shoot first, ask questions later. In other words, don't worry about anything other than getting the little box. Everything I do, I know what I'm doing. I've been in this business for a while."

Kagome sighed, nodded and walked along with him as he led her a few yards down _away_ from the warehouse. She sighed. _Damn, that pretty much sucks considering I have a million questions for him._

His reason was soon evident as he led her into a back alley that appeared to be right next to the warehouse when you walked up it. If they walked up a certain side, they'd be hidden in the darkness. That was the course it seemed that Inuyasha was going to take.

Sango could be seen on the other side of the dumpster closest to them, lounging against the wall like she wasn't doing anything. The man she had described was still standing there against the wall, not looking at anyone as he smoked his cigar. Kagome realized that Sango stood there to block the view of the man's fall from the streets, because as soon as Inuyasha took him down, he'd fall against the dumpster and people wouldn't be able to see him.

Inuyasha gripped her shoulder, pulling her closer to the wall and they crept to the edge of the shadows. He knelt and took a large gun from somewhere out of his coat, cocking it and aiming it at the man. He smirked. "Watch and learn, bitch." With a shot that was heard, but sounded like a dart gun, the man fell to the ground instantly and Sango reached down to drag his body more into the dumpster.

Inuyasha stared down at Kagome when he stood again. "You get the next one when we get there."

Kagome nodded. All in all, she felt very confident about it now. If Inuyasha could do something like that so easily, then she was _bound_ to pass with flying colors.

Of course, her natural curiosity was driving her insane. "Ok, I know you said no questions, but where the fuck did you pull that gun from?"

He didn't answer, just grinned down at her and grabbed her arm, leading her towards Sango. Inuyasha met with Sango and started talking with her while Miroku's voice came over her earpiece. "Kagome? Turn on the palm pilot, urgently."

Kagome pulled it out as quickly as she could and turned it on, nudging Inuyasha with her elbow in the process. On the screen, a large black limo had pulled up to the front of the building, and none other than Sesshomaru himself stepped out, walking in like he owned the place.

Inuyasha growled loudly. "Damn it! Why the hell is he here?"

Kagome didn't see the problem with Fluffy. If he was just another stupid demon like Kouga, what was Inuyasha worried about? "Can't we just knock him out, too?"

He stared down at her, a very bored look on his face. "Fluffy is a full Youkai, Kagome. There's no way in hell you're going to knock him down by using one fucking dart. Maybe hundreds, but not just one."

"Then what are we going to do? If I'm correct, a full Youkai has wonderful senses. He might even know our exact locations by now."

"I know _that_…" Inuyasha palmed his chin and stared down, deep in thought. After a moment of uncomfortable silence, he spoke up again. "The one person that he wants out of us is you, Kagome, and I've already been through it that you are not going anywhere. We are still going in, as planned, but we have to be fucking cautious now. If he's here, I'm pretty sure that some of the people will be Youkai, and the darts won't work on them."

Sango pulled out two little devices that looked like stun guns and handed one to both of them. "I did some research and a bolt of electricity through something like this can at least confuse them, or make them read their senses wrong. The only problem is it makes a noise, and if you're not quick with it, he'll spot you before the thing takes action."

Inuyasha nodded while strapping it onto his already loaded utility belt. "Thanks, you always think of everything. At least we have one way out of their mess."

Kagome put hers in an inner coat pocket to have it well concealed. "What about scent disguises? What kind of a ware house is it?" Looking up, it was revealed to be an old oil warehouse that had to be decades old. She looked back at Inuyasha and furrowed her eyebrows. "Couldn't we just cover ourselves in oil and confuse the Youkai?"

"One problem, _sweetie_."

She glared at him for calling her that, and even considered slapping him. "And that is?"

"Oil would not only screw up their senses, but mine as well. I'd be as useful as Kouga if you even opened a bottle of that shit."

"But if it's an oil warehouse, there's already going to be traces of it."

"But they will be years old, faded and not near as bad. The most that shit can do is give me a headache." He rubbed his head in memory of what oil did to his senses and sighed deeply. "It doesn't really matter. Sesshomaru cares nothing about technology, so maybe he's going to ignore us as it is."

Sango shook her head. "He's still looking for Kagome, though, and by now he knows exactly what she smells like."

"Fuck…that bastard knows my scent already?" Kagome stated.

Inuyasha groaned into his hands. "If something poses a problem, we'll leave. Come on, Kagome." He grabbed her hand and opened the side door carefully, leading her into the darkness. He jerked her behind some crates, pointing out all the figures as he knelt down behind them. 

He watched her and whispered. "By the smell of it they're all human, so the trick of it is to take them out when he's the person that no one's looking at. Watch, I'll shoot one, then you shoot the next." He pinpointed the man that was closest to them and aimed the gun that had mysteriously appeared again. When everyone else appeared to not be looking in his direction, he shot the man and then pointed at the next one.

Kagome took out her handgun and aimed it carefully at the man he pointed at. When everyone else appeared to just now notice the man on the ground closest to them, that second man went down as well with Kagome's shot. Once a guy noticed the second man going down, things went bad.

They'd be found if they didn't stop the other four.

Inuyasha whispered harshly. "Shoot the rest before they sound an alarm! We can't risk being found."

Kagome and Inuyasha both shot at the remaining four before they could hit any alarms. The coast seemed clear when the last man fell, and Kagome found herself sighing with relief. _That certainly gets your blood pumping…_

Inuyasha took the suitcase she had been holding on her lap and opened it to reveal a monitor while he laid it flat on the ground. He turned it on and watched as thick motionless red lines showed up on the screen with a flashing green dot in the middle of a square. The red was apparently walls and obstacles, while the green dot had to be what they were looking for. Inuyasha looked around and followed the path that it wanted them to take with his eyes, and then after putting the monitor away he stood and pulled Kagome along in the shadows near a hallway.

Kagome found this to be like an exciting game. It felt like a 3D version of a hunting game, where if you actually lost you couldn't push the restart button and start over. No, if you didn't win, you died or went to jail.

The thing that had her baffled most was that she really enjoyed it because Inuyasha was 'playing' it with her. She couldn't explain it, but because he was there it was so much more exciting, and risky. Sure, Sango or Miroku would have been fun, too, but to her, it felt right being there with Inuyasha. It was a feeling that she had certainly never felt for anyone before, especially for a top gang member in New York City.

Another thing she had noticed almost made her laugh. Inuyasha had been holding her hand a lot, and even if it was only when leading her places, it made her wonder slightly. Maybe his badass attitude was all a mask, just something to hide under? She wasn't sure if that thought was relieving or degrading.

Inuyasha was looking down at a little monitor instead of watching where he was going, and Kagome had to grab his shoulder and stop him before he went walking straight into a crowd of workers. He widened his eyes and scooted back until he knelt behind more crates to point out that one of them was their leader. "That guy standing up front is passing out stuff. He's probably the leader, and we have to take him out."

"Can't we just shoot them right now?" 

He shook his head. "Too risky, there's to many people around and we wouldn't shoot them all in time before they either found us or sounded an alarm. They leave after he hands them stuff, so maybe we can get him alone."

Kagome looked around and had an idea. "If you want them out of the way, why not make them panic?"

Inuyasha stared at her with an interested look. "How?"

"There's machinery over there, why not shoot one of the workers that is working over it and make him fall into it? Everyone would drop what they are doing and attempt to help him out, wouldn't they? That would give us a chance to take action."

Inuyasha put a hand on his chin to prop himself up as he thought about it. "The only problem is I think something like that would bring out Sesshomaru, and I don't want to run into him. He's hard enough to handle as it is."

"Well, if we wait all those people are going to scatter out in area's we've already hit, and they'll know something has happened and still sound an alarm."

"Either way, we'll have to shoot them all eventually. We'll just wait for the leader and shoot random men later."

After many people scooted out of the way Inuyasha took aim on the main man. He walked towards the office and before he got into the doorway, Inuyasha shot him in the back. When he fell, it looked like he was in his office all the way, so no one would really notice unless they were looking for him. Kagome sighed though; there were still too many people around the entrance they wanted through.

"Kagome?" Miroku's voice in her head.

Kagome nudged Inuyasha. He spoke into the microphone. "Go ahead, Miroku."

"You need to hurry up and get out because more and more workers are entering the building."

Kagome shook her head. "He said more and more workers are entering and we need to get out."

Inuyasha sighed with more exasperation and began to rub his eyes with his palms. "Shit…" He grabbed the microphone and growled into it very loudly. "We should be out soon, Miroku, but we still have a few more rooms to hit. I don't want to back out unless it seems absolutely necessary. If you see a reason we need to get out right away, then tell us."

Sango's voice came into her ear. "I've got a reason."

Kagome looked at him and whispered that Sango had a reason. Sango continued. "I've been listening to a strange group of men talking outside. If you go into the main room, Sesshomaru will get you for sure. He knows your there and he's waiting for you."

Kagome bit back the curse she was about to scream. This isn't the way she had hoped to complete a mission. The very first one she ever went on couldn't be finished because of his stupid brother. Explaining to Inuyasha what Sango had said, he growled and bit his tongue as he leaned against the trashcan. He got onto his microphone again and cursed for her. "We'll be out in a few minutes. Call the limo up."

Kagome heard them both gasp and grudgingly say "Yes Inuyasha."

Inuyasha sat up and grabbed her hand again, looking around for a way out. "We'll have to get out quickly. I knew Sesshomaru knew we were here, and I swear to Kami that I'll kill him one of these days for screwing up my plans."

After getting over the fact that Inuyasha was willingly touching her again, she helped him search with her eyes. "There's no way out unless we knock down those twenty-some people."

He smirked and pointed ahead of them. "Always have a second plan, Kagome." He was pointing down a hallway that was very dark until you reached the end. At the end of the hallway a window could be seen, and the only thing they had to do to get there was make a mad dash. 

A conversation suddenly went on in Kagome's head between Sango and Miroku, and she found it hard to concentrate on Inuyasha when what they were saying seemed interesting... 

She heard Sango first, saying, "This is so strange…Inuyasha has never backed out of a job before."

"I know! Even in the best interest of his people he has never backed out. And we've been through Fluffy before, too."

"The only thing different is Kagome…he must be concerned for her well-being. Although I doubt he'd ever admit it, he's too damned egotistical."

"He'll still be one pissed off Hanyou. Kouga had better steer clear of him tonight, or he'll get a bruising he'll never forget."

"That is unless Inuyasha pounds his fucking head into something."

Kagome felt a hand shake her rather violently and she looked up into beautiful golden eyes. He had watched her for a few seconds after he noticed she hadn't been paying attention, and the strange looks she was giving no one in particular had him interested. He stared at her with a raised eyebrow. "Let me guess, you can hear Sango and Miroku talking and it's something more interesting than escaping in the best interest of our lives." She smirked and nodded, almost saying "Yea, much more interesting." He grabbed his microphone again. "Note to Sango and Miroku…turn off your damn microphones."

Kagome heard them curse at the same time before they turned them off, and Inuyasha had her arm in his hand as he looked around before jumping into the hallway, dragging her along as if she was just another ligament. Kagome widened her eyes on the hard landing. _He has a lot of skill…_

Pulling her towards the window, he pushed it up and forced it open. He looked down into the alley, assessing whether or not the jump would be safe for Kagome to make on her own. After a shake of his head, he bent down slightly near her. "You ain't got no choice. Get on."

Kagome widened her eyes. "Your back?"

"Yes." He bit out harshly.

She shrugged and hopped on, feeling his gloved hands grip her knees tightly as he climbed out and jumped down. Landing in the alley on all fours, he let her crawl off and stood while brushing off his coat. He didn't look at her as he arranged all his guns back into their position. She was glancing from the ground to the window they had just jumped out of and wondered why he was being kind enough to help her down. He seemed like the type that would just shove her out and wave as she hit the ground.

He nudged her and walked to the street corner where Sango and Miroku were still engaged in conversation. Inuyasha fell into step with her and decided to lay down the law. "Don't tell them I let you do that. They'd never quit bugging me and I'd never stop yelling." She nodded and continued to walk over to the two. Of course, when Inuyasha and Kagome showed up, they stopped talking because the conversation had been about them.

Miroku crossed his arms. "Inuyasha, I have a question to ask you."

"Sure, why not, everyone has questions to ask me."

"Why did we stop this time? We've NEVER stopped in the middle of a job. In fact, this is the first job we've never finished."

He sighed. It was complicated because he _himself_ wasn't sure why they stopped. He would have been perfectly fine putting all their lives at risk and normally would push them to their limits. However today, he didn't want to risk Kagome being found.

For the fucking life of him, he couldn't say WHY he cared about her so much.

__

Whoa, where did that come from? I have got to stop drinking before missions.

Kagome didn't understand why this was such a big deal. To Sango and Miroku, it was extremely odd that he would have even considered stopping.

The limo pulled up along the side of the road and Inuyasha hurriedly got in to avoid the questions. Everyone sat in their usual spots and Inuyasha decided that now was the time to tell them something he didn't even know. "Sesshomaru wants to take Kagome, and according to _you_…" He pointed at Sango. "He's waiting for us. He's not getting Kagome and that's final. Anymore questions?" 

Sango and Miroku shook their heads. With a grunt, he took off his coat to reveal a lot of weapons straps and guns, each with a sharp knife or something else that was very dangerous attached. Kagome shook her head, finding it hard to take her eyes off him. "Not anymore."

He had what appeared to be two machine guns hanging off his shoulders, and two large straps over his chest. The straps had two little packets with knives in them, and Kagome noticed that on his back he had the large sword, secured by the straps. He had two smaller guns on his belt, along with many packets and straps that could contain almost anything, and a large knife on each of his forearms like she had on hers. She swallowed when she realized she had been staring at him, and quickly averted her gaze to the floor of the limo before he could notice.

He took all his guns and knives out of their sheathes, handing them to Miroku and Sango.

Sango caught Kagome staring at him and smirked. "See all the weapons he has?"

"Yea, no kidding."

"He doesn't really need them to be dangerous. His claws could take out this state easily."

Inuyasha sighed, removing his straps and putting them in his coat pocket so that he was more comfortable. "I already told her that I don't because of fingerprints. The police have enough shit on me already. I use all of my weapons when they are convenient." He lifted up the bottoms of his pant legs and removed knives that were resting inside his boots, and ones that were secured on straps _on_ his boots. Kagome furrowed her eyebrows. _Shit, he's like the fucking Calvary._

Miroku patted Kagome's shoulder and she snapped to stare at him. "Kagome, give me all your weapons."

"I don't have near as much as he does, though."

"No one does, but I need yours."

Kagome took the guns out of her pockets and the knife off her belt. Then she lifted up her sleeve and removed the knife that he had given her, holding the blade in her hand as she handed it over. Casually, she reached down and removed straps off her calves to reveal two knives that nobody here had known about. Inuyasha made that perfectly clear. "I didn't give you those."

"I've had these for a long time, I've just never worn them before."

"Why?" 

She stared at him. "I bought them because I was rich and many people have threatened me over the years. I kept it a secret from my dad, and since he had me in those _slutty_ business suits all the time, I've never worn them. I just stored them in my purse."

Miroku palmed his chin and rested it on his knee. "Where's the gun you told us about?"

"In my office desk. Had I known you guys would kidnap me the day I left, I would have brought it with me."

"Would you have used it?" Inuyasha asked casually. Not like he had a problem with her defending herself, he just wanted to know if she would have really tried to kill him.

She shook her head and shifted in the seat. "No, not unless I knew that you intended to kill me. I had a feeling that you didn't." She sighed. "Why am I giving you guys my weapons again?"

"Miroku and Sango are the ones who buff and take care of our weapons. I have them do it at least twice a week, and usually right after jobs."

Sango smiled slyly at Kagome, humor sparkling in her eyes. "Kagome, we need that _other_ knife, too."

Kagome blushed slightly and stared at her carefully. "I…I want to keep it."

Inuyasha looked at her while removing his beanie and revealing his beautiful silver hair, shaking it into place and twitching his ears at the feeling of being released. "_All_ the weapons, Kagome."

"Damn…" She took off her coat carefully and lifted one armhole of her tank top. She reached into it and slowly pulled out a very thin knife from a sheathe strap across her chest, making Inuyasha widen his eyes in wonder. "Shit, Kagome, how did you manage to hide that from me? Even I don't have a knife directly across my chest."

"You have a flat chest, Inuyasha, and no comments about mine." The knife was about six inches long and even the hilt was as thin as the blade, making it hard to see against her shirt. "I put it in a place that I thought most people wouldn't look for a knife."

Sango smirked at Inuyasha. "He has very keen eyesight, and that's one of his advantages. He can usually see where the weapons are hidden on a different person. You've hidden three knives from him, and one of them could have been seen, _had_ he been looking. He's mad because he didn't."

"Sango, I swear…" He warned, a growl emitting from low in his chest.

"Don't worry, Inuyasha, the only reason I knew about it was because I helped her get ready."

"Did you know about the knives on her legs?"

"No…I'm actually not sure when she put those on…"

Everyone stared at her for the answer and she sighed. "I put them on when I excused myself from the group, before Sango helped me with everything else."

Inuyasha shrugged without a care and stood, getting into the box that he had gotten the vodka from. Pulling out a red bottle, he sat it on a tray and pulled out four wine glasses. He poured them all the drink and handed it out, explaining to Kagome. "It's strawberry Daiquiri." He talked slowly like she wasn't very intelligent, and that made her mad instantly.

"I know what it is, I own a bar." Taking the glass from him, she swished it around in the glass and stared at it carefully. _I wonder if Inuyasha puts any strange products in the things he drinks…_

Sango glanced up to see Kagome staring at her drink. "Kagome, he didn't poison it or anything. It's straight from the bottle."

Kagome smiled and took a sip, finding it to be quite good compared to that vodka crap. This actually had a taste; hence the name _strawberry_ Daiquiri. Shit, for owning a bar, she didn't know very much about drinks.

Inuyasha seemed perfectly comfortable without his leather coat on as he leaned back against the seat and closed his eyes. Miroku and Sango leaned against each other but didn't close their eyes, and Kagome felt a little weird being the only one not leaning back. She didn't want to, though, because Inuyasha's arm was sprawled against the back of the seat and near her shoulder. Not that Inuyasha wasn't attractive in his own weird way or nothing…she just didn't want to get too cozy with his arm touching her shoulder.

Kagome noticed Miroku and Sango were staring at her, waiting for her to do something as it appeared. She wondered why she had to do everything that everyone else was doing, but she decided that it didn't matter. Inuyasha apparently had everyone doing everything that he did all the time. She didn't want to be like everyone else, anyway.

She sighed and chugged the rest of her Daiquiri. Miroku eyed her carefully before speaking his mind. "Is that _all_ the weapons that you have, Kagome?"

"Yes, there aren't any more."

"You're sure? After what I saw, you could have hidden them anywhere."

Sango elbowed him hard and snorted. "Dirty Hentai. You're lucky we're in a limo surrounded by breakable things that are owned by Inuyasha himself, or you'd be dead."

Suddenly, Kagome's cell phone rang. She gave it one of the strangest looks she could muster up while Inuyasha cracked open an eye to watch her answer it. "Uh…Yea?"

Everything was silent while they watched her reaction to the strange phone call. Inuyasha was more curious than anyone to find out who in the world would have her phone number. He didn't remember handing it out to anyone except for Miroku and Sango.

She made a strange face and rubbed her eyes wearily with her palm. "What the fuck do you want? I had enough of you earlier." She put a hand over her phone and glared at Inuyasha. "Does _everyone_ know my number?"

"Who is it?"

"That bastard Kouga."

He held his hand out for the phone and she hesitated before handing it to him. "Hey Kouga, what's the big idea calling her while she's on a job with me?" He listened for a minute and sat up straighter, a low growl low in his chest. "Fine, but that brings me to my second question. How did you get her goddamn number? I didn't give it to you…If I find out that you've been in my office, your face will be shoved so far into the pavement you can say high to the people in China! I'll tear out your brain stem and skip rope with it, all the while jumping on your carcass! And don't think I won't hesitate before ripping your balls off, either!" He waited for just a second, and then snorted rather loudly. "My office is always off limits when I'm not there to you people, and I'm going to make that clear when I get back! You'll know when I get back because you'll be able to feel how pissed off I am! I'll fucking kill you then bring you back just so I can do it again!" He slammed the phone shut, panting as he leaned back against the seat again. "Wow, I feel better."

Kagome put the phone back on her belt and shook her head slowly. "Is he always going to bother me like that?"

Inuyasha snorted. "I have never seen that bastard pummel a girl like he does you. You have my permission to hurt him all you want whenever he bugs you like that."

"Noted."

"Why don't you stop worrying so damn much and relax? You're radiating with tension."

Kagome stared at him carefully. _How did he know I was worried? _She decided to pour herself more of the drink and leaned back a little against the seat, not quite letting her head touch the back. _Wow, what a relief... The leather seats are so comfortable._

Miroku leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees and letting his hands rest between them. "So are we going to go back for it?"

"Of course we are, moron, just not today. We need to make sure Sesshomaru's busy the day we plan on it."

Kagome chugged the drink again and set down her glass, crossing her arms and closing her eyes as she leaned her head against the door. Suddenly tired, she couldn't hold up her glass anymore without spilling it on Inuyasha's leather seats, and she didn't want on his bad side for anything. A headache would not suffice at the moment.

"Kagome, are you tired?" Said Sango with a hint of laughter in her voice. She was currently rubbing Miroku's shoulders for him while he relaxed his head down near his hands.

"No, not really." She didn't open her eyes. She felt completely relaxed, and it felt really good. A nap would be good, but she wasn't going to show any weakness by mentioning it.

Inuyasha chuckled softly. She felt movement on the seat, but she didn't move for a few minutes until she felt breath on her face. Then she opened her eyes and saw two golden ones looking back at her from just inches away. She yipped and jumped back, instantly furrowing her brows in anger. "What the hell are you doing!"

He smirked and leaned back again, his ears twitching. "You are too tired. You're so tired, you didn't even open your eyes when I shined a light in them."

"You shined a light on me?"

"I rest my case."

Kagome crossed her arms, pouting like a child. "You are so immature, Inuyasha."

"No I'm not, I'm just logical. And you were lying, so I proved it."

"I was not lying, I was just resting my eyes."

"You were not, you were trying to sleep. And sleeping is forbidden unless I'm doing it in my limo."

"Jerk."

"Bitch."

"Bastard."

He grinned and shook his head softly. "This is familiar."

"And that last time we did this I won."

"You did not, I could beat a stupid whore like you any day." 

"I did too, and then we had to shut Kouga up because he was laughing his ass off."

"Psh, whatever. I win, end of story."

Kagome rolled her eyes, putting herself back as close to the door as she could. "You only win cause you're in charge." She muttered.

He grunted as he leaned back further in the seat. Miroku and Sango were beaming at them stupidly, and Inuyasha and Kagome noticed, screaming "What?!" at the same time.

After controlling her laughter, Sango smirked evilly at them. "You guys are so cute."

Kagome gaped and Inuyasha pointed at her. "Watch it, Sango, I'll rip your tongue out."

"You know, Inuyasha, I have never seen you work so hard to win an argument. Kagome _must_ be the first real challenge you ever had."

He huffed. "Her? Psh, I've had better arguments with my dinner."

Kagome snorted. "At least I'm not stupid enough to actually attempt to talk to my food."

"Shut the fuck up, tramp. I can always force you to sleep in Kouga's room tonight."

"That bastard can barely keep his hands to himself in my presence. Inuyasha, that is a huge insult." Kagome turned her head away from him, staring out the window in a futile attempt to ignore him.

"No shit, Sherlock." He smirked at her.

"You cocky, egotistical, selfish…"

"What, bastard? You've said that so many times."

"And you have called me a bitch countless times, Inuyasha."

He grinned, little peaks of fangs showing over his bottom lip. "It's cause you are one."

"Well you are a bastard, and also cocky, egotistical, and selfish."

"Whore."

"Mongrel."

"Witch."

"Ohh…that one hurt, did you think of it all by yourself?"

He grinned, almost suggestively, and it threw her off guard. "If you push me to far, we'll get into a wrestling match, and I can already tell you who would win."

"No shit, Inuyasha. How could I, a 'bitch' by your standards, defeat someone like you with inhuman strength?"

"That's exactly my point."

"The only reason I push is because you push back. You start it."

"I do not, damn it!"

"See? Childish."

Inuyasha clenched his fists and growled. "I'll show you childish…" He moved forward to grab her, but Miroku grabbed his arm and surprisingly held him back. "Enough, Inuyasha, you're baiting her."

He threw Miroku back down to his seat and sat back down, grabbing his red bottle and chugging the alcohol like it was cool-aide straight out of the bottle. Kagome smirked and looked at her gloved hands. _It's so much fun arguing with him…_

Her cell phone rang again, and this time, as she reached down to get it so did Inuyasha. She grabbed it first and he struggled to get it from her as she held it away. "Let _me_ answer it!"

"No!"

"I gave you the fucking phone, now give it to me!" He growled.

"They don't want to talk to you, they called it to talk to me! Back off!" She had her foot on his chest, basically pushing him off as she tried to answer it. Inuyasha, on the other hand, decided that there was no way in hell that she would win this one. 

With a huge smirk, he grabbed her ankle, pulling her clear across the seat to wear her legs rested on his lap, and still she tried to hold the phone away from him. However now, he had much better access to restrain her. 

He pinned her arms above her head and straddled her waist, easily grabbing the phone with a smirk of satisfaction as one of his hand held both her arms in place. She struggled to get it back, but while he was lying on her and had both of her arms pinned, she wasn't going to. She would have to admit defeat this time.

Inuyasha made a show of it and put all his weight on her, making it harder to breath so she couldn't scream at him anymore. He opened the phone and answered. "Hello?"

"May I speak to Kagome?"

Inuyasha stared down at her and smirked. "Umm…She's tied up at the moment, can I take a message?" He added an extra lilt of politeness, and Kagome struggled some more before glaring at him. "Jerk."

"Actually, this is Shippo…"  
"Shippo? Ok, how is everyone getting her number? I didn't hand it out."

"Miroku put it on an emergency pad near me, and this is what I would consider an emergency…"

"Well is it something I can't handle that you had to call my left hand instead?"

He sighed deeply. "You probably could, are you on your way back?" 

"Yes."

"I'll tell you then. Bye." Inuyasha leaned back and slowly closed the phone, emphasizing the fact that he had won more than was really needed. However, he couldn't help himself; she was hard to argue with and he wanted to prove that it wasn't that hard to win.

Mentally preparing himself for Kagome's yelling, he held his ears back. Of course, she did exactly what he thought she would. "You stupid fucking bastard, how dare you!"

He grinned. "I told ya I would win. It wasn't that hard at all." _Kami, her scent changes when she's angry…she smells good._

"You stupid son of a fucking bitch! I don't care if you _could_ have done that, you shouldn't have! But no, you had to be a big baby about it!"

"Sorry _sweetie_, but I had to prove a point." His grin couldn't have gotten any bigger as it showed a hint of fangs. Kagome wanted to once again slap that look off his face.

She stared coldly at him. "I hate you."

"I'm sure."

Miroku cleared his throat, and Sango laughed whole-heartedly. Both Inuyasha and Kagome glared at him and waited, and he could barely contain the grin on his face. "Inuyasha...are you aware of the position you're in and how it looks?" 

Both Inuyasha and Kagome became suddenly aware of what Inuyasha had done. He stared down at her with wide eyes for a moment. _Fuck…_

With a jump, he quickly got off and scooted to the far corner of the car. Kagome did the same the instant he got up and crossed her arms tightly. _That jerk!_

Inuyasha finished chugging the alcohol in the bottle and was mentally cursing himself. _Shit, that bitch has gotten me acting weird! I have never acted this way before around another person. I'm sure the two perverts have noticed that, too. Fuck, that's just great, something they'll never let me live down. Shit, fuck, damn, son of a bitch…_

"Inuyasha?"

He looked up at Miroku, raising both his eyebrows in frustration. "WHAT?"

"I'm going to be killed for asking this, but why did you want to answer her phone so badly that you put her in that position?"

Inuyasha cracked his knuckles, glaring at her while he did so. "If she would have just let me answer her phone, that wouldn't have happened. And thank you for volunteering to be today's punching bag."

"Can we wait until we get to your office, cause I'd like to finish my drink…"

He growled and rubbed his eyes, then sat up instantly to pick up the phone on the car's wall. "How far are we from the warehouse?"

"Only a couple more minutes, boss."

He slammed the phone back down, sitting back down in his seat and pointing at Miroku. "I want you to go straight to my office the minute we get there."

"Of course, Inuyasha."

"And I want my weapons back by tonight."

"Got it." Said Sango.

Inuyasha finished the bottle and threw it into a trashcan near the cooler. He leaned forward and grabbed his coat, slipping it back on. He slipped his sunglasses back over his eyes and grabbed his suitcases, slipping them onto his lap. The minute the limo stopped, he was out the door first and headed into the club.

Kagome stepped out next, still a little angry with Inuyasha not letting her use her own phone and had the nerve to embarrass the hell out of her. How dare he assume she couldn't answer her own telephone? Sango had to grab her elbow and lead her into the direction of the club because she wasn't paying attention, while carrying a very odd gym bag with the weapons in it. "Kagome, are you alright?"

"I'd like to hit that childish baby so hard in the face its not even funny. Maybe I could activate my boot knife and kick him in the nuts. What do you think?"

Sango laughed. "I think you need help. It'd be insane to fight with Inuyasha. I have something to talk to you about, anyway."

"What's that?"

She stopped before they went inside, making sure the men were out of the way before beginning. "Well, have you noticed how Inuyasha gets around you?"

"I wouldn't know if he changed because that's all I've ever seen him do."

"Kagome, usually the arguments he starts are ended with a simple order, or him smacking something around. But he enjoys starting them with you, and he's smiling and smirking more, and it's getting a little weird."

Kagome almost wasn't listening. She found it hard to believe that Inuyasha acted any differently when she wasn't around. "Sango, what are you saying?"

"Kagome, he's even put you in very intimate positions. Now tell me you didn't notice that!"

"I kind of didn't really care. I mean, both time's I was extremely pissed off."

"You actually got into a wrestling contest with Inuyasha the shadow lurker. He was straddling you, even. Kami Kagome, if you don't notice anything weird with that then you're blind!"

"Ok, maybe he did, but it was wrestling! And I'm still pissed off about that. How dare he take the phone call when it was for me!"

"He put you there on purpose, and enjoyed every minute of it, Kagome. My reason for pointing it out is that he never touches anyone without the intent on hurting them in some way, and that is not what I see when he touches you."

Kagome looked down, a little nervous now. She hadn't considered that. "Well, Sango, I just think I'm a good challenge to him, and perhaps I have become what he would consider a friend."

"Well Miroku and me are his friends, but he doesn't pin our arms above our head and straddle us."

"But you're older friends who haven't seen anything other than his mean side. Maybe he doesn't know how to react around a new friend."

Sango smacked her forehead. "Kagome, before he met you, there _WAS_ no nice side to him. And don't get me wrong, I like his nice side very much, but you really don't know how weird it is, that's all I'm saying."

Kagome smiled softly at her. "I've only been here for two days, and I feel like I've known you all my life."

"Well we'd better go inside before my life ends with Inuyasha's impatience." They entered the building and climbed up to the office, hoping like hell that Inuyasha wasn't as mad as he was in the limo.

*~*~*^_^*~*~*

Miroku had sat himself near Inuyasha's desk and was explaining feelings to him like an older brother. "Well I think you like her, Inuyasha."

"Psh, what do _you_ know?" Inuyasha didn't look up from the files he was reading. He was hoping that if he showed no interest at all, Miroku would leave. However, it didn't seem to be working.

"I know that that position I saw in the car was not something you normally do to anyone. It was very intimate, especially considering that look you gave her the last time."

"Shove it, goddamn it. I do not have feelings for Kagome Higurashi." He slammed the file on his desk and crossed his arms to glare at Miroku, not very happy that he was pestering him about something like this. Who did he think he was, anyway? It was NONE of his business!

"Deny it all you want, but I know you do. You even smile now, Inuyasha, and you used to never do that unless you were about to kill somebody."

"I'll say it again…I DO NOT HAVE FEELINGS FOR THAT BITCH! Do I need to say it in a different language, or did you hear me?"

Miroku shook his head. "You're brain denies what your heart cannot comprehend."

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow at him. "Speak fucking English, I do not speak your native language."

"It means that you have a whole different feeling in your heart, and your brain refuses to accept it as like or even love."

Inuyasha growled. "I can't love, I'm too heartless. And besides, I DO NOT LIKE KAGOME!"

"Ok, I'll agree with your brain even though I know what's really going on."

"Fuck off."

A knock came on the door and Inuyasha basically groaned. "Sango and Kagome, get your ass's in here."

The girls came in and Sango slammed the door hard, mustering up an angry look on her face. She walked over and grabbed Miroku's arm, hauling him out of the chair and outside the room while Kagome and Inuyasha just stared after them with raised eyebrows. After they left Kagome sat in the chair, shaking her head and sighing with all the feeling she could muster. "What the hell was that all about?"

"You're asking me? The two of those dipshits have been acting very weird lately. It's pissing me off."

"Yea, Sango is really acting weird." She looked down and then looked back up with a fake smile. Scores were about to be evened out. "So, Inuyasha, would you like to take my phone back since I shouldn't answer it? Anyone that calls me _really_ means to talk to you."

He scowled, absently playing with his claws on his ungloved hand. "Maybe I'll just rip your heart out and stomp all over it."

"You had no right to take it from me! I don't care if you gave it to me, that person called it because they wanted to talk to me, not you!"

He stood, leaning far over the desk to emphasize his point. "And what if I don't want anyone else but me or Sango and Miroku calling you? MAYBE I knew that I hadn't handed that number out to anyone and they shouldn't have it."

"Well that doesn't mean that you have to wrestle with me just to take it! Maybe you could have asked! But no, you just had to demand that I give it to you like a childish baby."

He put his hands on the desk and came eye level to her. "I could prove to you that I'm not a child, Kagome, but you'd probably scream and cry, or attempt to kill me with no avail."

"Inuyasha, no matter what you do I'll never quit thinking of you as a child when you did that to me. You are my boss and I'll take orders from you, but that doesn't change my thoughts."

Inuyasha casually started popping his knuckles and growling at the same time. He was looking at her with a very strange glint in his eyes, and all warning signs in her head went off. Kagome stood and backed up a little, pointing at him. "Don't you look at me that way, Inuyasha."

He jumped over the desk and started walking with steps to match her backing up. She realized he was trying to corner her, and rolling her eyes, she realized that he was going to achieve that. "Shit…" She turned and darted for the door, but he grabbed her around the waist, lifting her off her feet and forcing her on her stomach to straddle her back. She almost screamed, but decided against it. He wasn't going to actually hurt her, anyway, she knew it and he knew it. He was just trying to scare her.

He reached up and turned the door's locks. Kagome struggled against him and managed to turn over, glaring at his smirking face. "You son of a bitch, you let me up right now!"

"What are you going to do about it?"

She hit her heel hard on the floor and the knife popped out. She jerked her foot around and put it on his chest with the blade pointed against his neck. He widened his eyes and swallowed. _Oh fuck I forgot she had those on…_

"This is what I'll do about it."

He swallowed and watched her carefully, not daring to move. "The rest of the club would kill you. Miroku and Sango would shoot you personally."

"I don't care! If you don't get your ass off me I'll show you how serious I am."

He growled loudly and let her go, standing up carefully and walking over to his desk. He sat down and spun around in his chair, looking up and away in pure thought. "You know, Kagome, Miroku might have been right about something."

Kagome got up and went over to her chair, sitting down with her arms and legs crossed tightly. "What's that?" She asked, as if nothing had ever happened.

"For some reason, I haven't killed you yet, and arguing with you is like a game. I don't think I've ever met another person on this world besides you that could argue even half as well as me."

"Same here. That's why I was a lawyer."

He stared at her carefully. "Well lawyers aren't as clever as you are. At least not with weapons like that."

"Come on, Inuyasha, I didn't think you would forget about the knives in my boots."

"So I forgot something…it's not the end of the fucking world."

"It could've been the end of your life, had I been someone else."

"So you wouldn't have actually killed me, then?"

She grinned a cocky grin. "No, but I am a good actor when the time calls for it." She loved using those repeated words. It proved her point and made her seem ten times more intelligent than he was.

He snorted. "Ok, so you won that argument. The next time I plan on wrestling with you, you won't have shoes on. Then we'll see what you'd do about it."

"I'm glad that I won."

"But I won the argument in the limo."

"Which one? Because by my standards, I won one and the rest were interrupted."

"I won the time I got your cell phone away from you."

She sighed. "Yea, but you cheated."

"I did not! You started it, with your fucking foot pushing me back."

"You were practically ready to strangle me if I didn't give you the phone!"

"I WON! End of discussion."

Kagome snorted. "Yes your majesty."

"Don't mock me, woman."

"I'm not, why would I do something like that to you?"

He snarled, choosing to clench his fist instead of beating her up. "You stupid lying bitch, I hope that your tongue swells up and suffocates you."

"And I hope that the vet finds a muzzle to put on you while he's giving you your rabbi shots."

"I am not a dog, I am a partial dog DEMON!"

"That don't mean you don't act like an animal."

"Why you…" He started.

"Truth hurts, don't it?" He hated his own words being thrown back at him.

"Get out."

"Gladly!" She stood and unlocked the door, jerking it open and slamming it shut with so much force that a picture fell off his desk. She didn't care who he was to her, she didn't have to sit there and listen to that shit all day!

Sango and Miroku walked in, having seen Kagome and wondered what in the hell had caused that attitude with her. Miroku crossed his arms and watched the fuming Inuyasha try and contain himself in his seat. "Inuyasha?"

He growled, rubbing his eyes strongly. "I highly suggest that you get out, too, while my brain is still set on kill." They nodded slowly and walked back out, giving Inuyasha time to sulk and think about all the confusing feelings Miroku had described. That had to be it, why else would he let her get away with all the shit she did?

*~*~*^_^*~*~*

Kagome marched right over to the bar, slamming her fist on the counter. "I want a bottle of Tequila, and I mean _now_."

"Yes ma'am." The man quickly grabbed her bottle and handed it to her while Kagome left money on the bar. She then walked towards the door, but not before Kouga stopped her with a hand on her arm. "Where are you going, Kagome? Inuyasha piss you off?"

She turned and punched him so hard he instantly fell on his ass with a bloody nose. She panted while she held her fist above him, and Miroku and Sango stood nearby with a shocked look on their faces. Never had this woman showed so much anger and aggression, and even after an argument with Inuyasha.

Sango walked over and grabbed Kagome's elbow tightly, leading her out the door and towards their apartments. Kagome couldn't help but feel that a long talk was on the way, and she knew that Sango would try and talk to her about it.

However, she had nothing to say. Inuyasha was a bastard jerk and that's all there was to it.

She didn't say anything to her until they got to their apartment. She forced Kagome to sit on the leather sofa and stared down at her carefully. "Kagome, I have never seen you act that way before. Are you alright?"

Kagome jerked the lid of the tequila off and she took a swig, looking up at Sango. "I have never been better." She stated with sarcasm.

"Kagome, my fucking god, you stomp out of Inuyasha's office, slam the door, then when we went downstairs, we see Kouga say two sentences, and not even bad ones, and you punched his lights out. What the fuck is wrong?"

"I can't believe I work for such a fucking baby, that's what. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to my room so I can wait for my lying tongue to swell up and suffocate me." She stood and marched down the hall, slamming her door and turning the lock so that no one could get in.

Sango rubbed her eyes and waited for the knock on her door that she knew would come. As soon as she opened it, Miroku headed in and looked around to make sure everything was alright. "Ok, where is she? What happened?"

"I didn't think you would ask since you _hate _to get into other people's business.I think Inuyasha really hurt her feelings this time." She motioned for him to follow her and walked over to Kagome's door, knocking lightly as if afraid to break the door down. "Kagome, don't down that whole bottle of tequila or you'll get poisoning."

She heard something break against the door, like a glass, and she shouted. "GOOD! Then maybe Inuyasha would have less to worry about!"

Sango winced and whispered at Miroku. "See!"

He sighed. "Inuyasha's feelings have to be hurt, too. Maybe they both said the wrong thing while arguing."

"Kami, this should really stop. They need to get together, Miroku. It's the only thing to do. They're perfect for each other."

"I couldn't agree more."

Sango looked down at the bag in her hands, sighing and deciding against her better judgement. "But I have weapon buffing to do, and I must meet Inuyasha's standards tonight. I think I'll go somewhere quiet. Want to come?"

"I'd love to, but I have work that needs to be done as well. I'll help you buff some later, though, if you don't already have them all done when you get back. I suggest as soon as you finish Inuyasha's weapons you return them to him, but I'm not sure that Kagome should get hers back today. Inuyasha may even agree with me."

"Thanks." She walked over and knocked on her door again. "Kagome, I'll be back later, alright?"

Another thing was thrown against the door and she shrugged modestly. "Alright, see you later!" Both Miroku and Sango left the apartment, leaving a very pissed off Kagome to wallow in the darkness of her room.

*~*~*^_^*~*~*

(A/N-thank you for the reviews! Aww, Inuyasha pulled a soft one!

Just to answer any questions, this is proving that Kagome is changing the entire gang. I will probably get the next chapter up today because I have nothing better to do, but this is a major weird chapter that I use just to prove a point. So don't hate me! It's overall purpose will be revealed later on in the story!)


	5. The Breakdown

Disclaimer-Inuyasha is not mine, and I mourn that loss greatly.

(A/N-WARNING-this is the weird chapter! No flames, please, it serves a huge purpose. Also, Inuyasha seems a little weird, but that's ok, he'll get back to his old self next chapter.)

And Thanks for all the reviews, as I can't write this story without you guys as a guide!

****

Chapter five-The Breakdown

Sitting in his office as usual, Inuyasha wasn't one to waste his time. He was polishing and buffing his wonderful guns and knives, making sure that they were completely shiny because Sango finished them early. Everyone else was probably asleep, he figured, so no point in wasting his day.

He had cooled down quite a bit from hit outrage with Kagome. He knew that if she were to return, he'd probably go back to his egotistical self and tease her about being a stupid slut like always. In fact, he almost wanted to, as if that would make him and her feel better about that stupid disagreement they had.

Not that he cared or nothing…

His cell phone rang, and he gave it a strange look because it normally didn't ring this time of day without an emergency being the reason. He was cautious. Picking it up, he answered it carefully. "Uh, yea?"

"Inuyasha? It's Miroku."

"What is it?" He was surprised because of the concern in Miroku's voice. He was starting to not like this very much.

"We have a bit of a problem…see, I'm in Sango's apartment because she called me over, and it appears that Kagome is having a nervous breakdown. It's not a pretty sight."

"Whoa, whoa, wait, a nervous breakdown? Explain what she's doing."

"Sango says when she came home, there were broken dishes and plates all over the floor, and Kagome was sitting in the middle of the kitchen floor in hysterics. We aren't sure what set her off, but we have no idea how to stop her and get her to tell us what the problem is. Do you have any advice?"

Inuyasha instantly grew worried. He started to fear that he was the cause of this breakdown. He growled to himself. "You've tried talking to her?"

"Yes, we've tried everything, but she won't talk to us Inuyasha. If we ask her what's wrong, she'd just stare right through us and mutter something that we can't make out. I'm worried about her, and Sango is almost in tears at the sight of her. I mean it's horrible." Inuyasha could hear the sounds of a scream in the back round and the sound of Sango trying to calm her down with her voice. A dish broke and Miroku sighed. "Fuck, she's breaking dishes again."

"I'll be there in a minute, keep her from hurting herself." He sat there staring off for a second and shook his head, trying to see if he had just imagined it. A nervous breakdown wasn't a good thing at all…if he remembered correctly, it could cause permanent memory loss of the past to the person who was having it. 

He had to admit he would _never_ wish that to happen to Kagome.

He quickly started to put all his weapons back on, jumping out his window to land with a thump on the ground. He basically jogged into the front of the building next door. Never touching the stairs, he jumped from one base to the next until he hit the very top story. However, instead of jogging to the room, he walked quietly and slowly down the hall. In the back of his head, he was hoping that it was all some sick joke that he could kill that stupid monk for even thinking of making.

However, he knew by the sound of his voice over the phone that it wasn't a joke. Something went terribly wrong with Kagome, and he had a feeling that he had a big part of it.

His overwhelming need to care about Kagome had come back, and now nothing mattered more than figuring out what was wrong with her. He wouldn't rest until the problem was fixed, either. He meant it when he said he needed her…although he wasn't exactly sure _why_ he needed her so much, but he wouldn't argue with himself over it.

When he entered the apartment he found Miroku was right; it wasn't a pretty sight. Dishes were everywhere, broken and not, and there were holes in the walls from where they were thrown. He could indeed hear hysterics and smell the salt of tears. No doubt it was Kagome by the tone of the sobs.

He urgently walked into the kitchen to the sight of Miroku restraining Kagome in a full nelson. Sango was biting her nails nervously by the fridge, and as soon as she noticed Inuyasha she sighed with relief. "Its like she's not even in there. Can you do something?"

He looked her over carefully, his face now an unreadable mask. She was in just a black tank top and pants, her hair was still in a ponytail, but it was a frizzy mess. Her mascara ran down her cheeks with the still wet streaks of her tears. Her arms had little cuts and slices, as if she had struggled with something or fought someone off. Her sobs were not a pleasant thing to hear as she fought against Miroku so she could continue throwing plates.

Inuyasha removed his coat and noticeable weapons, placing them on their kitchen table quietly. He approached her carefully, hoping not to shock her or anything. He waved a hand in front of her face and noticed that she couldn't, or wouldn't, focus on him. He sighed, shaking his head in disappointment and grabbed her chin, forcing her to stop her movements. "Kagome? Kagome wake up."

After a moment, her eyes focused, and she stopped her movements to sob weakly. It seemed that she stared at him, recognizing him but not quite telling who he was. That fact relieved him slightly, but he couldn't stop worrying about whether she was fully all right or not.

She shivered after a moment and looked down at the floor. Inuyasha looked up at Miroku. "Set her down." He said quietly.

Gently, Miroku put Kagome on her knees and Inuyasha knelt in front of her. "Kagome? Are you alright?" His nose and instincts instantly told him that something wasn't right at all. He leaned in and sniffed her neck, pulling back with wide eyes. "Shit, what the hell happened to you?" She seemed ill, and possibly drunk. He could also detect a good amount of chemicals in her system, what he wasn't sure but he knew they were there. It wasn't something that he liked sensing, especially with her.

She closed her eyes and sniffled, gently pulling her arms away from Miroku to wipe her eyes carefully. She opened them and looked around the apartment, gasping at all the broken plates and dishes on the floor. She picked a piece of plate up and stared at it carefully, more tears welling up in her eyes. "I…I did this?" She began to shake uncontrollably, and she tried to grab her shoulders to stop them.

Inuyasha grabbed her hands for her to stop her shaking. "That doesn't matter, what matters is what's wrong with you. What happened, Kagome?"

She sobbed and leaned back against Miroku again, who had knelt behind her, and she put a shaking hand over her mouth. She shook her head constantly. "He did it because of me…it's all my fault…"

Sango made a hopeless gesture. "She says that over and over, and it doesn't make any sense. Then after a while, she'd start throwing things again."

Inuyasha nodded and leaned forward, gripping her shoulders and shaking her slightly. "Kagome, what are you talking about?"

She wouldn't answer him, just suddenly turned paler and moaned softly. Miroku, being the good person he was, put a hand on her forehead. "She has a high fever."

Sango nodded. "I think she overdosed, and I know she drank."

Kagome instantly put a hand on her mouth and with the help of Miroku stood, walking as quick as she could to the bathroom. Sango looked terribly worried and almost started after her, but Inuyasha grabbed her shoulder and shook his head. "I suggest you stay here. Seeing Kagome like this is worrying you too much." He followed her reluctantly into the bathroom.

Miroku bent down and started picking up pieces of glass, Sango slowly joining him with hands shaking just as badly as Kagome's. She continued to shake her head in disbelief as she put the pieces in the bag. "Miroku, you don't have to clean anything. This is my apartment."

"Sango, I'm happy to help."

"I'm sorry that you had to see Kagome like this. I should have come home earlier. Maybe I would know what's wrong with her."

He calmly glanced at her, his eyes caring and loving. "Sango, you're beating yourself up over something that couldn't have been helped. It is not your fault, so don't apologize for it."

She sighed and shook her head, dropping the glass and burying her face in her hands. "I have never been so scared for another person. She's acting possessed."

"It is the obvious signs of a nervous breakdown. Something has happened to her, and it's driving her with rage, or possibly grief."

"Well she does keep mumbling that it's all her fault. We just have to know _what_ she thinks is her fault."

"Inuyasha will handle it. He's gotten more of a response from her than anyone else."

Inuyasha stood in the bathroom doorway and watched Kagome wretch, his mind drawing a total blank about what he could do to help her. She was sick with all the emotions, and he was sure that their little argument hadn't helped. He was starting to feel guilty and responsible, and he wasn't sure he liked either of those human emotions.

When she finished, he dug through the cabinets and pulled out some towels, handing her one while she leaned back against the wall, panting heavily into her hands. He shook his head, able to scent the alcohol on the air. "You need to cut back on the alcohol. Tequila isn't the best alcohol to inhale." He viewed the counter and a pill bottle, opened with pills all over the place. He picked up the bottle and read the back with an eyebrow raised. "You shouldn't take pills when you're drinking, either."

She wiped her eyes and face with the towel. "I'm sorry. I…I'm not even sure what really happened."

He sat down beside her against the wall, making himself comfortable. "Would you like to tell me what upset you so much?" 

Kagome looked down at her hands and talked quietly, although he would have heard no matter what. "I was watching the news and a special report showed up on screen. I was surprised to find that it was about my dad." She sniffled and leaned back, her voice started to crack the more she described it. "He's dead, and the police are saying it was suicide. All I remember was that the stupid man described it, and…and…something about it being my fault…" She inhaled and held it. "Then I felt immense guilt and anger and everything just…just sorta blacked out."

Inuyasha wasn't sure what to do. He felt terrible for her, but with inexperience with these emotions, he wasn't sure whether to talk to her or hug her, or both. He would have laughed at himself for even thinking of hugging her, but what could he do? He was partially responsible.

He compromised and put his hand on her shoulder, scooting a little closer to her. At least he was showing her that he was paying attention. "So you don't remember anything after you blacked out?"

She shook her head. "The next thing I knew, you were shaking me and telling me to snap out of it. It's like I was blind with fury at myself."

"Why would you be angry at yourself? It's not your fault that he's dead."

"I still feel guilty, like I could have done something about it. Maybe I could have called him or something…anything…"

Inuyasha couldn't take it anymore; her pain was making craters in the pits of his stomach. He swallowed his pride, sighed and grabbed her shoulders, pulling her into a fierce hug. She was tense at first but relaxed into his grip as he started to slowly rub her back. "It's alright, Kagome."

She rubbed her eyes, then closed them tightly, wrapping her arms around his chest. She felt better, almost knowing that he understood what she was going through. She also knew how hard it was for him to comfort her, and she was very grateful he even tried. "Thank you."

Miroku grabbed Sango's arm and pulled her away from the bathroom door, smiling warmly. "I told you he could handle it."

Sango's eyes were wide with disbelief. "Talk about a day of surprises. I still swear I have never seen Inuyasha touch another person without intending to kill them."

"Kagome has changed him. He's gotten so much nicer to us, even though he still has his killer reputation and no mercy towards the rest of the club. We have to remember that she's the reason he does that."

"He'll have no mercy with _us_ if he catches us spying. I'm going to finish cleaning up."

"I'll join you."

Inuyasha still hugged Kagome tightly, although his ears had picked up the conversation outside his door. He almost growled at them, but he listened and decided to think about it. They were right, after all. He doesn't usually do stuff like this, and yet the sound of Kagome's sobbing made a part of his heart ache. He would do almost anything to stop it, and that's why he was comforting the small girl in his arms. Even though he enjoyed her being so close to him, he knew _exactly_ what she was going through, and he hated seeing her so miserable.

He wouldn't doubt it now. Miroku was right; he did like Kagome. It was the only way to explain what was happening to him. Of course, him being one of the main gang leaders in the state, he never thought he'd truly care about another person. But someone like Kagome changed him, just by joining his gang and crying her heart out over something that only he could understand.

He now knew why humans held onto people they cared about. He didn't think about it before, but now that he knew what human emotions really did to some people, he wanted nothing more than to stop it for her.

She sniffled and wiped her eyes. "I'm still sorry, Inuyasha."

"For what?"

"For ruining all of your dishes. I'm going to pay for them and give you extra money for repairs."

"I don't want your money. I want you to be ok."

Kagome stifled a sarcastic laugh and settled for smiling. "I'll probably be fine. A little sick with a hangover no doubt, but ok."

"I'll still have to make sure." He leaned back and looked her over. She still had tear streaks, but she looked much better now. She no longer smelled of those chemicals, so he assumed that she had just gotten rid of the pills. But the alcohol would be in her blood for a little while longer.

She smiled slightly at him and he returned it. "It does look like you're better."

She nodded and rubbed her eyes. "I should pick up the mess I made."

"You're not going to do anything but rest, Kagome. Besides, you scared Sango and Miroku half to death and they'd probably like to see you."

She gasped and quickly started to stand, Inuyasha standing first to help and hardly letting her do it on her own. One wave of dizziness hit her and she had to wait for a second before moving again, but once she was fine she headed out of the room and into the hall. She looked around at the walls as well as the floors and shook her head in shame. "That's it, Inuyasha, I demand to pay for the damage."

"You're not paying for it! You can pay me back by getting some rest."

Sango and Miroku walked into the room with trash bags in their hands. Sango almost dropped hers when she saw Kagome. The distressed lawyer, however, felt extremely embarrassed that she had acted the way she did. "I'm really sorry, you guys. I would pick it up myself, but Inuyasha won't let me."

Sango smiled. "He's right. The last thing you need to worry about is picking up a mess. You need some sleep, and a chance to relax."

"Well I'll say it forever, but I'm sorry this ever happened."

"It's not your fault, Kagome."

Inuyasha grabbed her shoulder and sighed. "Come on." She turned around and followed him down the hall into her room. He looked down at the carpet and noticed two wine glasses had broken against the door. Kagome laughed nervously. "That was _before_ my breakdown."

"What'd you do?"

"It was after our little argument, and Sango asked me questions that pissed me off so I threw wine glasses. I don't know why, I just did."

He sighed even deeper and looked around her room. "You have pajama's to change into?"

Kagome shrugged. "Not really pajamas, but yea I do."

He turned around and faced the door. "Well put them on. I won't look."

She stared at him and then walked over to her drawer, opening it and pulling out her shorts. She removed the objects from her pockets and put them on her nightstand, then changed in record time. She looked through her drawers for a t-shirt and changed into it next, then picked up her clothes off the floor. "You can look now, Inuyasha."

He turned around and held his hand out for her clothes. After she slowly handed them to him, he held out his hand again and she raised an eyebrow at it. He chuckled at her. "Your tequila and any other alcohol that you have stashed in here."

Kagome snorted and walked over to her bed, bending down and pulling out a large suitcase from underneath it. After hauling it up onto her bed, she opened it to reveal a large stash of assortments of wine, tequila, vodka and other alcohol. Inuyasha raised an eyebrow at it. "You an alcoholic?"

"No, but I do like having my own stash. Do you have to take all of it?"

"Yea, you need a break from alcohol. Pills too, for that matter." He pointed at the half empty tequila bottle. "That is some strong shit, and you drank half of it in one downing didn't you?"

Kagome slammed her suitcase shut. "Ok, ok, you've made your point. So you're cutting me off?"

"For now."

She looked up at him and pouted. "Not even wine or margaritas?"

"No alcohol for a week. I'm not doing it to be mean, I'm doing it so you don't get poisoning. I can't have you dying on me from something that could have been prevented."

"Hmm…" She sighed and handed him the suitcase, watching him set it and the shirts on the dresser. He walked around her room and sniffed, and Kagome watched him with interest as he continued to inspect her room. "What are you doing?"

"Somehow, I get the feeling that's not your only stash…" He walked over to her closet and opened the doors, looking around until he spotted a box. He reached down and opened it, revealing more wines and daiquiris. "Just as I thought."

Kagome started to mutter before speaking so matter of fact to him. "Those are old, I haven't even opened them."

"Well I'm taking them anyway." He walked over to her door and called Sango in, handing her the suitcase and her clothes. "Go put those in the living room." Waltzing back into the closet, he picked up the box and followed his other second out the door. Kagome sat on the edge of the bed and pouted. _Damn, I thought he wouldn't find the ones in the closet…_

He returned through the door and sniffed, giving her the eye when he was done. "There's _still_ alcohol in here. Where is it?"

Kagome glared at him and stood, walking over to her dresser. She opened her undergarments drawer and pulled out a bottle of tequila, slowly handing it to him. He sniffed the air again, finally satisfied that the room was clean. "Ok, I think I got it all."

"Not even a sip of alcohol now and then?"

"No. I'm going to have a lot of people make sure you don't, and if you do you won't leave my sight until your week's up."

She pouted and looked down. "Ok, fine…"

"Get in bed, Kagome. You need your rest."

She slowly complied and climbed into the bed, grabbing her pillow and nestling her cheek into it. Inuyasha walked over to the nightstand and picked up her cell phone, then smiled down at her. "I'll be in your living room if you need anything."

"My living room? Don't you have work to do?"

"What, do you mean to ask if I don't have a life? I'm insulted..." He stated sarcastically. "I'm going to stay in your apartment. I have things to do here as well, and I'd like to keep an eye on you."

"Well, thank you, Inuyasha."

"Night." He turned out the light and left the room with a crack in the door, leaving her to do nothing but close her eyes and grieve over the loss of her kin.

Sango and Miroku were going through the suitcase and box, marveling over the things that Kagome had kept hidden away. "I had no idea that she drank so much, Inuyasha."

He sighed and sat the bottle in his hands down in the box. "_Three_ different stashes of alcohol in her room. I don't want her drinking for a week, and if you catch her even taking a sip, let me know. I already told her that the club would be watching her."

Sango nodded. "No problem. We got all the glass picked up. We are lucky to still have a few plates and glasses left."

"Well I wouldn't suggest telling her that. And don't let me forget about the glass on her carpet."

Sango sighed grudgingly. "Oh yea, I forgot about that."

Miroku looked around the walls, actually impressed with the strength the plates had been thrown. "There are many dents and holes in your walls now, Sango. Many…_large_ dents and holes."

Inuyasha grunted in response. "I'm going to take care of all of that. I'll have a person come in and fix them later, after Kagome rests up a bit."

"When should I give her the weapons back?"

Inuyasha plopped down on the couch, scratching the back of his head. "I don't know…she still worries me, so don't give them back yet."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to stay here and lounge around for a while. I have nothing better to do, anyway."

Sango stood and headed back for the kitchen. "What kind of drink do you want?"

"Do you have alcohol in the cabinet?" 

"Yes."

"Hide them somewhere. Don't let Kagome have any of it."

"Ok, but what kind do you want?"

"I think I'll just have a bottle of her wine, thanks anyway."

"Ok."

Miroku looked through Sango's DVD rack, spinning it like a lazy Susan as he gazed at them. "How about a movie, Sango?"

"You're staying here, too?"

"I figure I might as well. What else would I be doing at this time of the day?"

"True. I don't care, pick one."

Inuyasha laughed to himself and stared at the monk like man. "They aren't a bunch of chick flicks, are they?"

Miroku smirked. "Inuyasha, you're talking about Sango here. She's a tom boy if I ever saw one, hell she doesn't even own a dress."

"Just pick one you know I'd like."

He went through the DVD's until he came up with one called 'Triple X' and stuck it in. Even though the movie was great, Inuyasha hardly listened. He was too busy keeping his ears out for noises in Kagome's room, and he heard the occasional sigh and slight moans. He figured she'd have a nightmare and a hell of a hangover, and he wanted to be there to help her. Even if he wasn't sure why he wanted to, he would do it and no one would argue with him about it, not even his own mind.

*~*~*^_^*~*~*

Three movies later, the bottle of wine was almost gone, but Inuyasha wouldn't get drunk unless he had quite a few bottles. Kagome's door opened and his attention instantly turned to it. She walked out of her room holding her probably throbbing head, going into the kitchen. Since Sango and Miroku were sleeping and holding each other on the couch, Inuyasha decided to see what she needed. The main reason because he knew that he wouldn't be spied on.

He stood and walked to the doorway, leaning on the doorframe. "Kagome?"

She turned and winced at the sound of his voice. "Where's Sango?"

"She's asleep. Can't I help?"

Kagome rubbed her eyes with both hands. "I need a Tylenol, or two, or four…"

He shook his head. "Kagome, I don't think that having drugs while you have alcohol in your system is a good idea."

She almost cried. "Oh, Kami my head hurts…" She closed her eyes and sat down on the kitchen floor, leaning her head back against the fridge. She pressed the palms of her hands against her eyes and moaned loudly while Inuyasha sat down beside her. "I feel like I got ran over by a train."

"That's what hangovers usually feel like. Don't tell me with all the alcohol in your room that you've never had a hangover." 

She snorted and gave him the 'what do I look like to you' look. "I told you, I just liked having a stash. It's not like I go chugging it like I did that tequila shit…" She put a hand on her stomach and let out a voiceless moan. "And I'm going to hurl soon, but if I stand up too fast I'll just fall back down."

He reached over and grabbed the kitchen trash, holding it next to her. "Then use this."

Kagome smiled weakly. "Thanks."

"No problem."

She looked down at her feet and sighed, playing a little battle with her thumbs. "Inuyasha, why are you being so nice to me? Why aren't you picking on me, or telling me that it serves me right or something?"

He raised his eyebrows and stared down at the floor. "I sorta feel responsible for it. The reason you drank was because of our fight. Not to mention it's not fair to pick on a sick person. And besides, for the first kidnapped victim that wasn't afraid of me, I think that you deserve me being nice for a change."

"I didn't think that you would care. But thanks for bringing me out of that state of hysterics."

"Like I said, no problem."

Kagome kept her eyes closed as she relaxed her head against her arms. "Do you regret it, Inuyasha?"

"Regret what?"

"Kidnapping me."

That was a question he wasn't expecting. He answered truthfully, though, because he knew he had nothing to hide. "No. I don't regret much of anything, but definitely not taking you."

"Why not? All we do is argue and piss each other off."

"Arguing is fun, especially with a real challenge. It may piss us off at first, but I know that neither of us really mean it."

"I believe it to be a struggle for dominance. Both of us are used to being on top."

Inuyasha snorted. "Well the male's _supposed_ to be the dominant one, you're just difficult. Having an intelligent person argue with me is harder than I could have imagined."

She looked at him like she couldn't believe it. "_I'm_ difficult?"

"Yes, you are. But take note that I complimented you by calling you intelligent. I don't compliment often."

She sighed and clenched her eyes shut. "You must be right, because my head hurts too much to argue."

"Wow, you really are sick aren't ya?"

"You should be able to smell the alcohol content in my bloodstream, Inuyasha. I'll be sick for a week with my luck."

"You're tougher than that, surely you'll pull out of the hangover by tomorrow."

Kagome pushed her head into her hands and moaned. "That's a long time to sit around in pain."

"So don't sit around, go back to bed."

She looked at him carefully, her eyes bloodshot and dry. "I can't go to sleep with this headache. It's the reason I woke up in the first place."

"Well couldn't you take a bath or something to help?"

She shook her head. "Trust me, I would love it, but I'd probably fall asleep or pass out and drown. What do you do about hangovers, that is, if you have them?"

He leaned back more against the fridge, looking up in thought. "I force myself to go to sleep until it pass's, unless I have something to do. Then everyone stays away from me because I tend to kill when I'm not feeling well."

Kagome smiled and looked at him with eyes full of innocence. "Could you possibly help me up?"

He nodded and stood, carefully bending down and helping her to her feet. She leaned against the fridge for a second before she rubbed her eyes again. "I guess I'll try and go back to bed."

"Want me to come in there with you?"

She was a little shocked with his question and she had to stop so she could process it. He put a hand on her shoulder and laughed. "I mean so I can help you go to sleep. Maybe a story, or something will help."

Kagome laughed with her eyes closed. "I'm not used to you being nice to me."

"I'm getting it out of my system so as soon as you're better we can argue again. Sympathy for my only well matched opponent."

She shook her head, still chuckling softly. "It doesn't matter to me, Inuyasha, you can do what you want. All I know is I'm going to bed." She slowly walked back to her room and Inuyasha followed suit. He had many thoughts, but one was that he planned on double checking her room for more alcohol, even though his sensitive nose told him there was no more. He did not like seeing Kagome with a hangover at all, and he vowed to never see it again.

She sat down on her bed and rubbed her temples, happy that the room was so dark thanks to Inuyasha's taste. He leaned against her dresser and stared at her, waiting until she was done rubbing her eyes so she could look at him. "So whadda ya want, a story, your back patted, maybe I could insult you to sleep…"

Kagome couldn't help but laugh at him. "Insult me to sleep? Boy that's rich…" She rubbed her eyes again but kept the smile. "Like I said, do whatever you want. You don't even need to stay in here, I'll eventually pass out again anyway."

"I'd rather you go to sleep then pass out. You wouldn't get rid of me if you passed out."

"Well while you're being so nice, that wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing."

He raised the corner of his lip into a half smile. "Uh…thanks?"

She smirked and got back under her covers. "No problem." She buried her face in her pillow and clenched her eyes shut as she let a wave of nausea go through her. Then she slowly lifted her head and turned it back on her cheek as she exhaled and inhaled with delicacy.

Inuyasha waited for a minute before going over to her bed and sitting down on it, watching her clench her eyes shut in an attempt to relax. He almost cursed himself for having a soft side, but he did enjoy it a little, the feeling of caring for another person. It almost made him feel more egotistical with his pride, but first thing was first; she needed some sleep. 

He carefully placed a hand on her upper back and rubbed it soothingly, feeling her whole body relax with his sudden attention. His pace was slow and his touch was light, and he didn't stop until he could hear the changes of her breathing when she shifted from awareness to slumber. He looked around the room at her clock and widened his eyes. _That was quick for thirty minutes…_

Once he was certain she was asleep, he was up and out of her room, leaving a small crack in the door. He decided that he wanted to hear everything, from all her breaths to her moans of pain. He would be her guardian, no one else, because all of a sudden it was his job to take care of her.

*~*~*^_^*~*~*

(A/N-Short chapter, I know, but this is the weird chapter that I was talking about, in case you couldn't tell. The purpose is to show that Inuyasha is slowly falling for her. He may deny it, but it's obvious, ne?

And trust me, it does go back to normal, and her dad's death just says that now she has no where else to go, and that she needs the gang more than ever. It serves another purpose, too, but I won't tell you until later.

And you also notice that Inuyasha is starting to take care of her? Like not letting her drink for fear of her health, and making sure she went to sleep…It's SO CUTE!)


	6. Cure for Pain

****

Disclaimer- -_- I still down own him, but I love writing stories!

(A/N-Thanks again to my reviewers, explanations are at the bottom of the page! 

BTW-This chapter is the last of the completely odd chapters, but you'll probably like me for what I make happen ^_^

Chapter 6-The Cure for pain

It had been two days since they had all spent the night in Sango's apartment, and Miroku and Sango were having a drink at the bar. It was the only way for them to get away from the bosses. If Inuyasha wasn't driving Kagome crazy by making her rest, he was driving them up the wall with questions and insults. One had to get away from that if they wanted to keep their sanity.

Lately, if Inuyasha didn't sleep on their couch, Miroku would stay and sleep beside Sango, or keep her company while Kagome continued resting in her bedroom. Sango was getting rather lonely, so Miroku never really left her side. He was always somewhere nearby, and as relaxing as it was for her, she found that her wrist hurt a lot more lately and his head had a lot more bumps.

Inuyasha sure had become persistent on Kagome's rest, and no matter how much she complained or wined, Inuyasha would disappear back into her room for a half hour or so before reappearing with a cocky smirk. Sango would always ask him what he did to get her to sleep, but he would just smile and say, "I'm the boss and I told her to." She would leave it at that because she knew she wasn't getting any more out of him.

Miroku sighed while observing his drink, twisting it gently in his fingers. "You know, all that alcohol in Kagome's room almost makes me want to _not_ drink. _Almost_."

Sango smirked. "Inuyasha had it all drank by last night. Kagome hasn't found out yet."

A strange sound of yelling could be heard outside, and Miroku tilted his drink with a grin. "Oh I think she knows."

The doors to the club opened and Kagome stomped in with Inuyasha following, looking almost hopeless but not backing down. Every member in the club stopped to watch their leader and his second argue and fight. "Hey, I did you a fucking favor, damn it! Turn around and look at me when you yell!"

She crossed her arms and started up the stairs, not thinking of looking at him while she headed towards his office. "You fucking bastard! You drank all of it! That's over three hundred dollars in alcohol, MY ALCOHOL, damn it! You didn't even save me the rest of that tequila!"

He pointed at her as he rounded the corner to the stairs. "You ain't ever having that shit again, so it doesn't matter if I drank it or not!"

"UGH! Whatever! That's not the point!"

"I was THIRSTY, and you weren't going to get any of it, so I don't see the problem here!"

"That's a typical male answer! 'I was thirsty, how was I supposed to know that you receive wine as gifts from people?'" She stomped up the stairs and into his office, waiting until he followed suit and slammed his own door to reveal more yelling that couldn't be made out. It was perfectly noticeable, though, and everyone in the club had to wonder if someone would get their head chopped off today.

Miroku sighed and stood, waiting for Sango to follow his lead. "Come on, Sango, we have to break it up before they get into a wrestling contest."

Sango almost giggled at that visual. "Well with how pissed off she is there's no telling who would win." 

"At least things are back to normal, right?"

"Right…" They headed up the stairs and walked into the office to reveal Kagome standing by the door and Inuyasha leaning on his desk. The air in the room was thick with previously said words, but what was most noticeable to Miroku was the way Kagome seemed near tears. He was surprised that Inuyasha was arguing with her because she seemed like she could break at any minute.

They stopped arguing when Sango and Miroku had walked in and slammed the door behind them. Sango shook her head at them, almost saying without words that they were pitiful. "We could hear you two way before you even got into the club."

Inuyasha snorted and pointed at Kagome. "It's her loud mouth!"

Kagome fumed. "I just figured out that you drank all my stash! I have a reason to yell!"

"I wouldn't have drank your stash if you hadn't fucking went home and drank all that tequila! You owe me that three hundred dollars for repairs in your apartment anyway."

Kagome sighed and rubbed her head. "I told you that I myself would pay for those damages, but that wine was a gift to me! You could have at _LEAST_ left that!"

"How the hell was I supposed to know that it was a gift? All I know is that it shouldn't matter to you right now cause your fucking week isn't up yet!"

"I feel well enough to take you on, Inuyasha, my period should be up."

"But it ain't!"

"Then change it!"

"My mind's made up, I will not change anything."

"Because you are a stubborn bastard."

"I think I liked it better with you in pain."

"I liked you better then, too, because you actually felt sympathy for someone in your life. Though to bad Sango came home early and found me, or I might have granted your wish and killed myself!"

He growled. "Ain't it obvious by now that I ain't letting you fucking die! No matter what you do, you aren't dying unless _I_ kill you!"

"Then for Kami's sake, kill me already, Inuyasha!"

Sango walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Kagome, talking like that will bring you into another state of depression."

She pointed at Inuyasha. "He'll kill me eventually anyway, Sango! I felt no obligation to continue living when my dad died." Her eyes watered and she looked down to hide them. "Shit…" She turned and stomped out of the room, slamming the door behind her as she went back to her apartment.

Both Sango and Miroku slowly looked at Inuyasha, who was leaning on his desk but his head was down and staring at his feet, as if he couldn't think of what to do or say. Sango sat down in the leather chair and rubbed her eyes. "Damn it, what are we going to do? She still blames herself for her dad's death."

Miroku sighed, also looking away and not meeting any eyes. "That's because she thinks that he died because he lost her. She blames herself because she didn't call him and tell him she was all right. Of course if that is the reason he died, then it's technically our fault not hers."

Inuyasha looked up at them. "There is a reason I made her limit for a week. She may feel well enough to bitch and argue with me, but the pain of her loss is still an open wound. Until it scars up, we have to keep our eyes peeled. She could still think that she has to hurt herself."

"In other words, she shouldn't be left alone."

"No." 

Sango stood and walked quickly out the door. Inuyasha yelled after her. "Call me on my cell phone if you need anything."

Miroku sat down in Sango's place and stared up at Inuyasha. "So how are you doing, Inuyasha?"

"What? Besides me being half fucking deaf at Kagome finding out that she has no booze left, and besides the fact that she worries me sick with all that talk of killing herself, I guess you could say its been great." He sat back down and put his feet up as he rubbed his forehead.

"Inuyasha, is it safe yet to say that you like her? Perhaps even more?"

He swallowed. _It's now or never, genius!_ "I admit it, alright? I care more about her than anyone else alive. Satisfied?"

"Very. It explains a lot, and admitting it could be the start of a new relationship."

"Miroku, I can't think about shit like that right now. I have to find a way to keep her from hurting herself. I mean, I got quite the earache yesterday when she found out that she wouldn't be getting her weapons back until she stopped wanting to die. There are so many ways a person could end their life, but I'll be fucking damned if I let her lose hers."

"Yes, Inuyasha, the human life is very fragile indeed. So is the heart, however, and when you care as much about someone as you obviously do Kagome, they can't die. At least, not by taking their own life."

There was a long pause before Inuyasha snorted. "Miroku?"

"Yea?"

"No one can quite 'comprehend' what the fuck you are talking about half the time. She wants to die, she's just waiting for me to give her back her weapons." He looked down guiltily and twitched his ears. No, he wouldn't give her back her weapons and have her end up slitting her wrists. He couldn't deal with that, and if she died he would never forgive himself for it.

"Then show her, Inuyasha. Show her that she can't die because you need her too much." He pointed at the Hanyou before his automatic retort. "Don't even say you don't need her, Inuyasha, because you do. You said so yourself, you care more about her than anyone else. That's got to mean something to you, especially considering that you could probably rip my heart out without second thought right this minute."

He scooted forward conspicuously. "Not a bad idea, Hentai." 

"Don't kill me for telling you how you obviously feel, Inuyasha. I'm just trying to help. Before we do anymore jobs, you need to talk to her. Let me remind you of something…how did you feel when Kagome had that breakdown?"

He snorted and crossed his arms. He could NOT believe the nerve of this monk…

Miroku dared to venture further, knowing that Inuyasha wouldn't hurt him today. "Inuyasha, I want you to tell me so I can make a point."

"Alright, fine, I felt responsible and bad."

"And how did you feel when she told you about her father's death and you were forced to comfort her in the bathroom?"

Inuyasha widened his eyes in realization and pointed at Miroku, almost in horror. "You little shit, not only were you listening but you were spying as well!"

"You knew we were out there?"

"HAVE YOU SEEN MY FUCKING EARS!"

"Yes, Sango and I watched. She was so worried about her friend, Inuyasha. But enough stalling, tell me how you felt."

He sighed and looked down, rubbing his eyes. "I didn't want her to feel that at all. I felt fucking horrible because we had just fought, and then to top it all off her dad dies, and I wanted to help comfort her a little."

"You felt possessive too, didn't you?"

"Possessive? Possessive how?" He suddenly felt stupid that Miroku was explaining this to him. It was so obvious…why didn't he see it before?

"You felt like you were the only one who could help her, the only one _allowed_ to help her. You may not have realized it at the time, but you wanted to be the _only_ person she looked to for comfort."

He sighed. "You're right. So what?"

Miroku smirked and that ^_^ look appeared on his face. "I think that you love her, Inuyasha."

"I haven't even known her for two weeks yet, Miroku. How can I love her yet?"

"Have you ever heard of love at first sight? Inuyasha, it can happen. It's not impossible. Your mother started loving you the day you were born, probably even before…"

"Don't bring my mother into any of this. She's dead and she just reminds me of how fragile a human life is, and reminds me of that helpless feeling that I felt when she died." He shook his head and leaned back. "That's why I didn't want Kagome to feel it. I know what the feeling is."

"Then perhaps you are the only one who can comfort her right now, Inuyasha. You're the only one of us who actually understands." Having shared his words of wisdom, he stood and walked out of the room, leaving Inuyasha completely stumped.

*~*~*^_^*~*~*

Sango stood outside Kagome's room as she had been doing for a long time, knocking and talking to Kagome through the wooden surface of her door. "Please, Kagome let me in."

"Go the fuck away!"

"Please let me in, Kagome, it's not healthy to keep locking yourself up."

"I promised myself that I wouldn't let anyone see me cry anymore! Yet he stood in there and got me started up again! He's such a bastard!" Sango could hear her beat something against the pillow and was hoping it was her fist.

"Come on, Kagome, he doesn't mean it."

"Yes he does! He'd probably kill me if he didn't need me as a second in command. I mean, what else am I good for?"

"Well what about me? Can't I come in?"

"Only if you bring some wine."

"But Inuyasha said…"

Something broke on the other side. "That's my fucking point! Inuyasha's the boss, I have no control over my life anymore! I never did! What's the point of living if I don't even control my life?"

A noise was in the kitchen and Sango turned to see Inuyasha, standing there with crossed arms and a concerned look on his face. His ears had plastered over his head, and Sango realized he had heard all of it. And judging by the emotion in his eyes, it hurt to hear it.

"Kagome, please come out!" She pleaded again, turning back to the door and ignoring him.

Sango and Inuyasha could then hear what appeared to be punching noises. His hearing could pick up her mumbling. "Baka father, why the hell did you have to die?"

Inuyasha pushed Sango aside and leaned on the door. "Kagome! Open up this door!" He didn't sound too nice about it. He wasn't even going to try, either; if she was anything like him, she would just ignore him and continue with her uncontrollable hysterics.

The noise stopped, as if she wasn't even in the room anymore. But Inuyasha could hear her breathing, and he watched the ceiling as he continued to talk. "Come on, Kagome, don't make me break it down."

"Why? I left to get away from you, not for you to come to Sango's apartment and break down the door."

"You and I need to talk, Kagome."

"I don't want people to see me like I am right now, Inuyasha. And I really don't want to see you. Just go away."

"Shit…" he mumbled. "I told you, I'm coming in there. You get to choose my method."

There was hesitation. "Can you wait for a little bit?"

He sighed. "I suppose."

Inuyasha waited as he heard scurrying inside her room. Kagome was still wondering why in the world she agreed to let him come in. _Hmm…maybe because either way, he'd end up coming in here. _She sighed and shook her head. _I'm_ _acting_ _like_ _such_ _a_ _baby_. She cleaned and refreshed her face because she hated her tears, but hated the thought of other people seeing them even more. They made her seem weak and vulnerable, which was something she vowed to never be again.

Inuyasha almost fell into the room when she opened the door, but he straightened out and stood with his arms crossed. Kagome motioned him into her room and he went and sat on her bed without any hesitation. Sango blew the bangs out of her face and walked to the living room to hit Miroku for going through her movie cabinet again; glad somebody finally got her to open her door. The only thing she was concerned about was whether she would open up to Inuyasha, because she desperately needed to, to anyone.

Kagome paced around her room and stopped in front of him, starting with a basic level of demands. "Well, you wanted to talk, so talk."

He stood, wondering why he sat down in the first place, and stood within a foot of her. "Kagome, you can't keep doing this to yourself. You'll make yourself sick."

She sniffled, wiping more tears away before they could fall. "I'm not worried about that."

"You should be."

"The only reason I'm upset is because I'm crying! And the only reason I'm crying is because of you!"

"My mother died, too, and you don't see me balling! She was murdered, even, and I couldn't find her killers! The only reason you're crying is because you're dad died and you're pissed at me, and that's nothing to get all moody about!"

"You bastard…" She stared at him like she couldn't believe her ears. How dare he imply that she couldn't be upset that her father died?

"Your father killed himself; at least he chose to die. My mother had her life taken away from her, and because I was slow, she couldn't do anything about it!"

"That doesn't mean you have to be a damn mongrel and tell me that I have no right to be upset!"

He snorted. "Don't call me names, damn it! I'm trying to be nice here!"

"Well you're not trying very hard! The least you could do is not address my problem, here! You obviously never cared about another person in your life!"

"Hey! I don't need to hear that from you! I've cared about plenty of people, but they don't ball their eyes out about everything something happens to them!"

She clenched her fists and stared at him. "You jerk! Why the hell did I join your gang in the first place!"

"Cause you 'wanted a different life'. Well you got it! I need you and you're not going anywhere!"

"Well how much do you need me, Inuyasha? I'm your own personal insultant!"

He raised an eyebrow. "That's not even a word!"

"With you it doesn't matter, now does it?"

He closed his eyes and clenched his fists. "Just shut up!"

"I _hate_ you." She said coldly, glaring at him and breathing so heavily with anger, she thought she'd explode.

He growled a growl that started low in his chest and ended up in his throat. He clenched and unclenched his fists, staring at her and watching as she panted in her own anger. They were both quiet for a few minutes, never breaking each other's gaze and never ceasing their glares. It was the longest three minutes of his life, and the silence was driving them both crazy.

The next thing he knew, he had enveloped her in his arms and was giving her the most desperate kiss he had ever known of. She instantly responded as if she herself thought of doing it, wrapping her arms tightly around him and pulling him as close as humanly possible as if savoring the feel of his lips on hers. He gripped the back of her head and pushed her more into the kiss, diving his tongue deep into her mouth. Kagome managed to trace his fangs and nearly cut herself, before he growled slowly and battled with her tongue, enough to show her who was boss.

Neither stopped until they needed air, and then pulled back to look each other closely in the eyes. Never in her life had a man handled her this way, but she couldn't say she didn't like it. Kagome felt wonderful, as if that entire event was like a cure for her pain. She suddenly didn't want to die anymore. She bit her lip and then sighed, almost with relief. "So _that's_ how much you need me?"

He smiled slightly. "Yea…"

She exhaled carefully before he grabbed her again and continued their kiss, listening to their leather rub up against each other as they tried to get as close as possible to each other.

Someone knocked on the door and Inuyasha growled possessively, pulling back from the kiss but not letting her go. "_What_?" He asked harshly, glaring at the door. Whoever was on the other side was about to DIE, he swore it.

"It's Miroku, Inuyasha, and it's been awfully quiet in there. What's going on?"

"If it was any of your damn business I would have invited you in." He tightened his hold on Kagome and inhaled the scent of her hair while he kissed the crook of her neck. _She smells so sweet, like spring rain…_

"Sorry, we were just wondering since I haven't heard any yelling for the past five minutes."

He growled and stared at the door again, daring someone to walk through it. "You're going to hear me yell in a fucking second, now go the hell away!"

"Right, Inuyasha." He heard the footsteps go back into the living room, and Sango screamed "Miroku!" at something he had said or done.

Inuyasha looked down and noticed Kagome playing with something in his coat while her cheek rested on his chest. She leaned her head back and opened the side, pulling out one of the little knives that he had on the strap on his chest. It was very thin and shiny with a skull on the hilt, and it looked more like a collector's item than a weapon. "Wow, where'd you get this one?"

He smiled slightly and took it from her, looking at it carefully before putting it back in it's sheathe. "I think it's one I had custom made, but I have to damn many to remember."

"What do you use it for?"

"It's a knife, deary, I cut things with it."

"I know THAT, smart ass, but it's little, meaning it has a special purpose."

"It's more or less made so that you can hide it easier. I'm the only one that carries them."

She sighed, leaning her forehead on his chest. "Are all of your knives that stylish?"

"Maybe."

She smiled and rubbed her eyes. "I'm thirsty, so I guess I'll go get something _non-alcoholic_ out of the kitchen." She added emphasis on non-alcoholic to show she wasn't happy about it.

He ran a finger through her hair and smirked. "Yes, a non-alcoholic drink is _good_ for you. You should try them, they don't end up with hangovers."

She snorted and pulled away from him, walking towards the door. "You want anything?"

"Nope. I'm good."

Kagome smiled and opened her door, going into the kitchen and getting into the fridge. Inuyasha followed her out and took off his coat, setting it on the kitchen chair. He removed his weapons and sat them on top, then his ears twitched with a noise in the doorway. His gaze looked up to see Miroku and Sango leaning on each other, basically spying on them and trying to avoid being seen. Inuyasha shook his head and finished what he was doing before bringing them into conversation. "You guys going to watch a movie?"

Sango and Miroku swallowed and walked into the kitchen, very sorry that they had been caught. "We planned on it. You guys want to join us?" Miroku ventured.

Inuyasha and Kagome both shrugged as she pulled some diet pop out of the fridge. "Sango, don't you have something non-diet?"

"At the back of the fridge. Since I was the only one who ever drank it, diet's all I kept around."

"Hmm…well it looks like I might be having more pop for a little while."

Inuyasha stared at her and crossed his arms as he leaned against the wall. "You should make it into a habit."

"I've never preferred pop over alcohol."

"Well you should."

She turned and stared at him. "What about you? I've never seen you drink anything but alcohol."

"That's different."

"How?"

"I don't ever get drunk, no matter how much I drink. And I never get hangovers."

She pulled out a can of Dr. Pepper and popped the tab, staring at him while she took a drink. "So just because I can get hangovers I can't ever have alcohol?"

"I'm just saying that you need to drink _more_ pop because it's _better_ for you."

She opened her mouth to say "Since when do you care what's better for me?" but she closed it and nodded instead. Sango and Miroku jaw dropped. "Are you guys ok? Cause you are acting really weird…" Sango stated.

Inuyasha growled, baring some very violent fangs. "Go watch your damn movie, Sango."

She crossed her arms and walked back into the living room, Miroku smiling cheerfully and waving as he followed her. He almost earned himself a smack walking by her because he was grinning so much, but Sango decided that she was more curious than mad. "What the fuck are you smiling about?"

Miroku motioned back to the kitchen with a graceful wave of his hand. He whispered to her. "I'll tell you later." Then his voice rose again. "So, what movie are we going to watch?"

"You pick, and no chick flicks."

"You don't own any."

She gave him a dull look before answering blandly. "Some of the ones you brought over are very questionable, Miroku. You're more of a girl than I am."

He sighed and crossed his arms. "If you say so." He dug through the cabinet to find a good movie, slightly hoping that Inuyasha and Kagome would join them so he could observe their strange behavior. He wanted to see if his hunches were correct.

Kagome chugged the can of Dr. Pepper with Inuyasha watching her carefully. Eventually he sighed, not wavering from his position against the wall. "Do you drink your alcohol like you drink your pop?"

She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Your 'looking out for me' routine is going to drive me crazy."

"What? I'm just asking."

"Well, I know we've had this conversation before, but what about you? In the limo, you were chugging strawberry daiquiri like no one's business."

"And once again, I say it's different because I can't get poisoning or all that shit regular humans do."

She threw away her can and sighed, turning herself to face him while biting her lower lip carefully. "You're making it harder and harder to argue. Makes me wish that I wasn't human."

"I'm part human."

She smiled almost sweetly. "But not all." She reached into the cupboard and grabbed a Snickers bar, slamming the door shut and opening the package. "You want to watch the movie with them?"

He shrugged. "It doesn't matter to me. I'd be just as content sitting in your bedroom and staring at the wall."

Kagome laughed and got another pop out of the fridge. She stared at him. "You sure you don't want one?"

"I'm fine."

She walked into the living room and Inuyasha slowly followed. Kagome sat by Sango on the couch and Inuyasha sat next to her, just about as closely as possible without it being too noticeable. "So Sango, what're we watching?"

"I have no clue. Miroku just popped whatever it is in."

Inuyasha sighed, sending a glare at the monk. "It's not a chick flick, is it Miroku?"

"What is it with everyone asking me if it's a chick flick? It's one of Sango's movies!"

"Oh good, then it's not." He crossed his arms and stared at the screen as the movie played, taking some glances at Kagome without moving his head every once in a while. She sat there eating her candy bar, getting pissed off at the movie every once in a while when something didn't make sense or seemed obviously fake. He wanted to put his arm around her shoulder, but he didn't want to give Miroku and Sango more reason to beam at them. He liked people being afraid of him, instead of smiling all the time.

Eventually, Sango fell asleep and leaned on Miroku, while the monk accepted the opportunity and pulled her as close as humanly possible. It seemed to take forever before Miroku seemed zonked out too, and he and Sango held each other tightly as they were resting, impossibly entwined with each other's bodies. 

Kagome waited until she could hear a breath change before she smirked up at Inuyasha. "Those two are dating, right?"

He nodded hurriedly. Taking one more glance, she scooted even closer to him and he happily grabbed her around her waist, kissing her forehead while she leaned on him. "I thought those two would never go to sleep."

"Me too. About time."

Inuyasha lifted her chin and kissed her deeply, grabbing the back of her head to hold her firmly in place. Kagome cupped his cheeks and turned fully towards him as he probed her mouth, seeking to find every crevice and tooth. She wasn't aware that after a while his hands had moved to her hips and pulled her over his hips so that he could get a better angle kissing. When she did notice that she was straddling his lap, though, she didn't seem to mind.

Kagome became aware of a vibration coming from Inuyasha, and after deep listening she found it to be what sounded like purring. She pulled back for breath and leaned her head on his shoulder to listen to the wonderful noise while he kissed her neck and shoulders. His hands were under her shoulder blades, hugging her close while his mouth worked. Kagome noticed that he was being extremely careful, because he was, after all, a Hanyou. His instincts would be calling on him to do much more than he was, but he cared about her enough not to rush anything. 

Somehow, that made her feel a lot better.

She ran her hand through his hair and smirked when the purr grew louder as she touched his ears. He seemed very responsive to the rubbing she induced on it, and he made a slight noise that she couldn't tell if it was a moan or a low growl. His hand on the back of her head quickly brought her mouth back to his, kissing her almost desperately as if giving her something else to do. So she quit rubbing his ears and ran her fingers through his hair while she felt him move his hand to her butt, completely turning her so that she was pinned against the back of the couch.

Inuyasha moved on his knees between Kagome's legs as he nudged them back. He was still purring loudly and Kagome smiled against his mouth, resisting the urge to reach up and grab his ears again. She had never heard a noise like that before, except from a cat, but this was lower and made his whole body vibrate. It was an affectionate sound that she was betting no one else had ever heard. And hopefully, no one ever would.

A giggle was heard and both eyes shot wide open, Inuyasha pulling back immediately to stare dumbfounded at Miroku and Sango. They were wide-awake and sitting up with grins from ear to ear. Kagome turned bright red and Inuyasha growled menacingly while still gripping her waist and neck. "What the FUCK are you doing awake!"

Miroku and Sango shook their heads. Sango sighed. "We were never asleep, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha growled even louder and Kagome fumed. "So you were pretending!"

Miroku shrugged. "I figured that something had happened in the bedroom after the two of you refused to argue like you always do. Kagome, you actually agreed with him without yelling all the swear words in the world. And I mean, come on, Inuyasha was _not_ himself."

Inuyasha had a spark in his eyes as he stood and popped his knuckles, towering over the now frightened Sango and Miroku. "Not myself, huh? We'll see about that…you're about to get a thrashing that neither of you will _EVER_ believe…"

Both of them booked in different directions and headed towards Sango's room, slamming the door and locking it before Inuyasha got to it. "Quick little shits."

Kagome snorted, wiping her eyes and calming herself so that her blush would reside. "Lucky little shits is more like it." She finished drinking her pop and smashed the can against the coffee table. "So now what do we do? Every time those two look at one of us there'll be a smirk on their face."

"I'm going to pound it out of them, or I'll smash their heads into something so that they'll forget it ever happened." He walked back over and sat down beside her. "I didn't really want many people to know yet, cause they'd all give me shit about it."

"About caring for another person?"

"Yes. I drove them all to believe that I didn't care about a person that was still alive, and whether they lived or died was not my problem. Them knowing about this, and knowing that it's a person from the gang, it'll just change my rep."

She fidgeted. "Couldn't you just beat them all senseless?"

He looked up and smirked. "I have a better idea." He got up and walked over to Sango and Miroku's door, pounding on it hard. "I'll break it down, so fucking help me!"

The door opened carefully and Sango and Miroku poked a head out. Inuyasha pointed at them both, a scowl still plastered on his face. "IF you tell a fucking soul about Kagome and I, not only will I kill you, but I'll do it nice and slow, got it? Not a hint, not a word, not a fucking sentence, or it'll mean the end of you two."

They nodded slowly and sighed in relief of not getting beaten. Miroku decided to be brave and speak. "We're your friends, Inuyasha, we would never tell. That's your job."

"Don't you forget that, and next time the two of you spy I'll cut your fucking tongues out myself."

"Yes Inuyasha." They said together.

"Go back into that room and don't come out."

The door was shut and Inuyasha walked back into the living room, only to see that Kagome wasn't in there. He looked around and sniffed, noting that she had to have gone back into her bedroom. By focusing his hearing, he could tell that she was probably changing her clothes, so he shrugged and sat back down on the couch to channel search for something good.

Kagome came out a few minutes later in her new pajamas and walked into the bathroom before Inuyasha could see the details. He heard water running as she brushed her teeth and the sound of a brush against her hair. He was so focused into knowing what she was doing that he didn't hear a word of his show.

She finally came out and walked to the living room to lean on the doorway. Inuyasha eyed her carefully, liking her pajamas a lot. A tank top and loose pants with a string, with white socks covering her feet. The pants were all black with orange flames seemingly engulfing them. The tank top was just black, but the middle had a little flame on it that had white wording with 'hot' underneath. Her hair was in a ponytail and her hands were across her chest as she began talking. "Would you like anything to eat, Inuyasha?"

He snapped up and looked in her eyes, realizing how stupid he must have looked ogling her. "Uh…"

"But if you're hungry for real food, we have a lot of that too."

His eyebrows furrowed. "Are you getting something?"

"No."

"Then I'm not either."

"Inuyasha, are you hungry or not? I ate a Snickers just now."

"I'm not if you're not."

She eyed him. "What do you want to eat?"

"I'm not hungry."

"Yes you are, you have to be."

"I am not."

"What do you want?"

"Nothing."

She rolled her eyes. "You are hungry, and you are going to tell me what you want, right now!"

"I'm not going to eat unless you eat, and I'm not hungry anyway! When I'm hungry, I'll raid your fridge while you're asleep!"

"Do it now while I'm willing to get you something!"

"No."

She sighed and then turned her attention to Sango's room when she heard laughter on the inside. Inuyasha took off one of his boots and threw it against the door, hitting it hard enough to make it rattle and shutting them up. He then removed his other boot and put it down on the floor so that he could throw it when needed, too. "You goddamn pricks are only getting one more warning before I bust the door down!"

Kagome sighed and walked into the living room, plopping down on the couch next to him. He wrapped his arm over her shoulder and leaned his head on hers while she watched the television. She placed a hand on his muscled stomach and rubbed her fingers along it, hearing his breath hitch and fall out in a sigh. His fingers were rubbing her shoulder, and in a matter of minutes she was almost asleep. 

Inuyasha noticed it and sat up, leaning down and pulling the stick that made the couch's ottoman come out. He grabbed Kagome around the waist and scooted over to it, forcing the back down so that it was flatter. Kagome lay down beside him and snuggled into his hold, rubbing her cheek on his shoulder as his arms held her even closer. He rested his head on top of hers and put a leg over hers, hearing her gasp slightly and look up at him. He smirked at her and kissed her forehead. "Go to sleep."

She rolled her eyes and smiled happily. "Yes sir." She closed her eyes tightly and sighed deeply, quickly falling to sleep.

Inuyasha smiled warmly at the situation at hand. _Yep, from now on you're mine. For as long as I live you'll be mine. _His eyes closed at his joyful thoughts, for once actually tired. He would sleep well tonight without actually having work to worry about, all the while keeping one ear on the world around him. He savored her touch before falling into sleep, waking only slightly to occasional noises in the apartment.

*~*~*^_^*~*~*

Inuyasha woke to the one thing he did _not_ want to hear right now; his cell phone. He groaned and picked it up off his belt, not really sure what time it was but not really caring as he answered it grumpily. "What?"

"Inuyasha? It's Miroku. How ya doing?" Inuyasha could sense the hint of amusement in his voice and it pissed him off. What the hell was the monk so cheery about?

"What the hell do you want, Hentai?"

"Sango and I have been monitoring the club for you, Inuyasha, and I was just checking on you and wondering when you were planning on coming back to work."

"When did you leave?"

"About an hour ago. It's almost midnight."

He actually opened his eyes and looked at Kagome, who was starting to stir from her happy dreamland. "I'm not sure, but it won't be too much longer."

"Well Sango had to threaten Kouga with her knife when he started getting aggravated at the fact that both you and Kagome aren't here. He said that he can't trust you with her because last time he almost got killed."

"So fucking kill his ass so I don't have to worry about him anymore! I'm not even sure why I put in my club."

"You're never one to miss a good opportunity, Inuyasha, and he was certainly strong gang material. Speaking of which, how did you and Kagome sleep last night?"

"It was fine until you called, and remember what I told you Hentai."

"I know, I know, and neither of us will tell." He hung up before Inuyasha could make any kind of retaliation.

Inuyasha threw his cell phone onto another part of the couch and almost shivered when Kagome's hands absently slipped up his chest and across his waist, hugging him tighter. She was slowly waking up, and Inuyasha sighed out of frustration. _Damn Miroku, he could have waited just a little longer._

Her other hand came up and rubbed her eyes, trying to focus them back to the real world. "What time is it?"

"Almost midnight. That bastard could have waited to call." 

She smiled slightly and sat up yawning. "Yea, but don't you have to be at the club?"

"I'm the boss, I can do whatever the hell I want and the club will like it cause I told them to."

She laughed and stood, slowly walking into the bathroom. "I'll go get dressed."

"Where do you think you're going?"

"With you to the club, but I have to shower and some other things first." She turned and pointed at him. "Get yourself something to eat! You have to be hungry, and I want you to."

He sighed. "Fine, I'll grab something from your cabinets after I've got my shit on."

She smiled slightly and walked into the bathroom. "Thank you." Then she shut the door to begin her daily routine of getting ready.

Inuyasha had his weapons and coat on in a few minutes, taking his fingers and combing it through his hair. He made sure that his glasses were back on over his ears and his boots on his feet, and as he looked around the apartment for a few seconds to make sure he had everything, he remembered what she wanted him to do. He readjusted his gloves and sighed, getting into the cabinets to grab something so Kagome wouldn't kill him.

Kagome ran out of the bathroom in just a robe and walked into her room while smirking at him. "Hey, you're actually eating!"

"Yea, well I didn't want to get into another argument about how I should eat."

She smirked and continued walking. "I'll be right back."

"Don't take forever."

She rolled her eyes and walked into her room, shutting the door to get dressed. Inuyasha sat at her table and drank two cans of her pop in less than ten seconds, eating a strange Snickers bar that was in the cabinet. He didn't usually eat chocolate, and the sweet taste was strangely delicious. He was wanting more almost immediately, but Kagome came out of her room all dressed and ready with her slightly wet hair up in a ponytail. Her coat was on and her glasses down, and she bent over near the kitchen table to put on her shoes. 

He decided to muse silently to himself. Who needed chocolate when he had plenty of eye candy?

"I'm ready, 'cept I don't have my weapons."

"You might get your weapons back today, but I haven't decided yet."

"I'm not going to try and kill myself."

"Well I just want to be careful. Do you realize how badly I would feel if you killed yourself anyway when I could have avoided it?" 

She sighed, shaking her head in dismay. "So in other words, you _still_ don't trust me."

"I didn't say that, but the fact that you can be a good actor when you want to be has me a little worried. Besides, you'll probably get them back today, so quit your damn bitching."

She grabbed a soda from the fridge and stood, waiting for him to follow without another word of the situation. "I'm ready, let's go."

Inuyasha got up and followed her out the door, heading back to the warehouse. He didn't try to touch her or anything because people could probably be watching them, and he still didn't want anyone else to know yet. Not while he could avoid it.

*~*~*^_^*~*~*

Kagome rolled her eyes for the hundredth time that night as she stood behind Inuyasha's desk. He had been explaining to her what would basically change since she was now considered his, and she didn't really like the idea of him getting to kick all the ass of people who disturb her. Nope, she didn't like that one bit.

"Aww, come on, Inuyasha, I can kick people's ass. I proved that when I decked Kouga."

"Yea, well I'm the one who's _allowed_ to kick the ass of anyone who mess's with you. It's my right."

"Well if you do it that way, everyone will automatically assume our relationship and the cat'll be out of the bag."

"Does it look like I care? If someone harasses you, I'm not going to sit around and fucking let them! They'd all find out eventually, anyway."

Kagome noticed him almost fidget in his chair, and she crossed her arms to glare sternly at him. "Ok, you're hiding something, Inuyasha."

"What the fuck are you talking about, woman?"

"You are fidgeting, and stiff and you're trying to keep something from me. Don't deny it."

He started rubbing his eyes to ease any pressure. "You just had to be a damn lawyer, didn't you?"

"Lawyers are trained to spot things like this, Inuyasha, now spill it."

He shook his head. Telling her the problems to a relationship like this is _not _how he intended on spending this day. "Another reason I don't want that many people to know is it becomes a safety issue for you."

"What?"

"People will try to hurt you to get back at me, or to get something from me that they want. You'd be known probably as Inuyasha's bitch, and everyone knows that I guard what's mine very well, and I usually do all I can to keep it. They'd blackmail me with your life, and I don't want that to happen."

Kagome sighed and nodded. "Yea, figures."

"Figures?"

"There's always a catch, and I knew there'd be one with you, too." She smiled slightly, almost fakely, but it wasn't too noticeable. "I guess I'll have to watch my back even more."

He sighed. "I'm still going to do the good boyfriend thing and protect you whether you like it or not, so get used to it."

She almost growled at him, but instead bit her lip. "What about jobs?"

"What about them?"

"Will I get to do them anymore?"

"That depends."

"_On_?" She asked with a dangerous tone. She knew the answer, and she would kill him if he said it. She was NOT a baby and she'd prove it!

"On how dangerous it is. _Holy_ _shit_…" Before he knew it, he was on his back on the floor with an angry panting Kagome sitting on top of him, her fist out in the best threat that she could come up with. Since she had knocked him out of his chair, she now sat between his legs, pinning him with an arm to his chest that could easily be removed when the shock wore off. "I'm going to do the jobs, Inuyasha, and you are _not_ keeping me out of the action."

After inhaling carefully, almost as if he was trying not to agitate her, he grabbed her wrists and sat up, pushing her back against his desk. He didn't move their bottom halves so that she was effectively trapped between his legs and the back of the desk. Being still a little shocked and trying to figure out how the hell she got across the desk that fast, he breathed in heavily and blew it out even more concentrated. "Now _look, _I have _no_ doubt that you can do it, but if you get killed it would be my fault, and I'll be damned if I'm going to loose another person I love just because I'm careless."

"If I die it will be my fault, and because _I_ was being careless. Your mother's death is not your fault, either, and you have to quit blaming yourself for it."

Inuyasha sighed. "You still blame yourself for your father's death."

"That's different."

"How?" This was starting to sound familiar.

"My father took his own life, Inuyasha. Your mother was murdered, and it's not your fault that you didn't kill her killers."

He clenched his teeth and tensed, almost releasing her so that he didn't squeeze her, but didn't. "Look, you aren't going to do jobs for a while anyway, so I don't know why you are so damned worried about it. You still have a lot of recovering to do."

Kagome leaned her head back against his desk and groaned. "Damn…one night of pure blind rage and no one will trust you to do anything."

"Did I say that?"

She stared at him. "No, but you imply it. I hate being overly protected."

"I'm not overly protecting you; I'm just protecting you. You're going to get fucking used to it, too, because I refuse to see you hurt."

"Well I'm going to refuse just sitting back and watching, damn it! I'm part of this club!"

"And who's the fucking leader? I'm your boss, too, and I said your not doing anything for a while!"

She pushed at his hands to let her go, but he wouldn't. "Let me go, damn it!"

"No. I want you to tell me that you're going to listen to me and stay out of trouble." 

She glared at him, huffing to calm her breathing. "Did you forget how stubborn I am? I'm a good pusher, Inuyasha."

"So am I. I won't get up unless you tell me you will promise."

"Just get your ass off, Inuyasha."

He sighed in near defeat. "What will it take for you to admit it, Kagome? I win this argument, no matter how _hard_ you try to convince me otherwise. Once my mind is set on something, it's not changing back."

She shivered at memories that suddenly came rushing back at her like a flood. "I just don't want to be a fucking child anymore! I already told you a long time ago about how my father wouldn't let me do a goddamn thing without his consent or approval. To me, this is the exact same thing."

"But it's not, Kagome. I'm just keeping you out of dangerous situations because I worked hard to keep you here with me, even harder to muster up courage enough to kiss you, and you are not abandoning me now, Higurashi."

She closed her eyes and exhaled carefully, opening them to reveal that he stared at her with concern and arrogance on his face. "I'm not abandoning you, Inuyasha. Hell, I'm trying to do more with you, but it looks like that won't happen."

"Maybe not right now."

She sighed and looked anywhere but at him. "Well, my week of no alcohol isn't that much longer."

"You get drunk again and I'll take it off your menu."

Kagome found her impulses urging her to strangle him. "Inuyasha…" She never finished as he captured her lips in a passionate kiss, in probably the worst compromising position he could possibly be caught in with all their clothing still on and in his office. She hesitated before kissing him back, calming down her rage enough to focus on their activity. She would never get tired of kissing him…

He moved so that his knees were on the ground, folding her legs down straight in front of her so that he could straddle them. He intensified the kiss, tangling his fists in her hair while her hands came up to grip his shoulders tightly. Her thoughts were basically focused on the fact that she had never been in this position with a man before. _He_ had never sat on _her;_ it was usually the other way around.

Although she had been extremely curious, she made herself stop thinking of stupid questions. She didn't want to act like a giddy schoolgirl right now; not in front of a very masculine gang leader, who just happened to be attached to her like he was sucking the life out of her.

Of course, Sango chose that moment to knock on the other side of the door and he quickly hauled them to their feet before breaking the kiss and picking up his chair while Sango walked in. Inuyasha made sure to wipe off his face from lipstick before Sango could see anything and make a stupid comment. "Knocking, Sango, it's one of the many things that will keep you out of trouble with me."

"Sorry, Inuyasha, I guess I didn't realize you were in a meeting because it was so quiet in here." She smirked and walked over to the desk, revealing a folder from under her arm as she handed it to him. "This is the scoop on our next hit."

"Thank you, Sango."

Kagome huffed and walked into his bathroom, slamming and locking the door. Sango cocked an eyebrow. "What's her problem?" 

"She just doesn't like the fact that I'm the boss." He could hear Kagome spit and he smirked cockily.

"Let me guess, you're keeping her out of this hit?"

"Out of quite a few, and I also took the time to inform her that if she gets drunk again she won't be having alcohol anymore."

"Oh, well then, I bet that went over _real_ well."

"About as well as I planned." He sighed, waving his hand to dismiss her. "Anyway, get the hell out, Sango. Tell Miroku to keep a close eye out for anything suspicious."

"Yes, Inuyasha." She was out the door and back into the noisy club, everyone instantly making way for the scary woman who could probably rip anyone's heart out in an instant. She made sure to encourage those train of thoughts, too.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and walked over to the bathroom door, knocking on it carefully. "Go the fuck away!" She yelled.

"Get out of _my_ bathroom, Kagome. We aren't done talking yet."

"We _weren't_ talking when Sango walked in. Let me guess, I'm not going to get to know a damn thing about that hit?"

"I never said I would keep you _completely_ out, Kagome. I just said you ain't working the hit. There are other ways you could be in on it."

That got her attention. She stood from the counter she was sitting on and opened the door to him, staring at him carefully. "Alright, I'm listening."

"We sometimes have people working in vehicles not that far off. They radio and tell us the important details we need to complete a mission, and they inform us of any obstacles and problems. It could actually be just as fun as working the hit itself. And besides, since you know so much about computers and shit, I think you would like it."

She crossed her arms, eyeing him suspiciously before speaking. "So I would still get to know everything, and I would even get a headset to talk into?"

"Yes, damn it. Anything you say we'll hear and respond. You get to look at a computer screen with our second base man and give us readings and everything. Hell, sometimes I wish I was doing it, but I run all the hits."

Kagome had to think about it, tapping her chin carefully, finding it to be a tempting decision. "Alright, as long as I'm somehow involved it might work out."

He sighed with relief. "Good." Looking around, he grabbed Kagome's elbow, pushing her back into the bathroom. She looked at him with a puzzled look before he grabbed her around the waist and lifted her back on the counter, securing her legs on each of his sides. He pulled her face down enough to kiss her romantically, shocking her a little before she returned it. He found her reaction quite amusing and decided that he wanted more.

He lifted the sides of her heavy leather coat and slid his hands in to snake around her thin waist, seeking to touch her flawless skin. Her heart skipped a beat before she slid her hands under his coat and gripped his shoulders from behind. He pulled her to the complete edge of the counter where she would have fallen if he wasn't there holding her up, and carefully lifted the bottom of her tight shirt so his hands could roam over the skin of her back. She hitched her breath when his claws made contact with his skin and instantly relaxed as his hands slowly made their way up to her shoulder blades, rubbing very slightly as if trying to know every last inch of her.

Inuyasha smirked deviously. She like his claws. He'd have to keep that in mind for later.

Kagome arched slightly because she found his fingers to be cold against her rapidly warming body, and Inuyasha smirked against her mouth. He prepared to experiment with his claws, wanting to trace patterns down her back and maybe snap a bra off in the process…

Their moment was cut short by the gasp of Kouga in the bathroom doorway. "What the fuck…"

Inuyasha growled and sat Kagome down on the floor again, turning his full attention to Kouga and preparing to randomly hack his head off. "What are you doing in my office without fucking knocking first?"

"I _did_ knock, damn it! You just probably didn't hear me because you were too busy making out with _my_ girl!"

"She ain't your fucking girl, she's mine, and I'm about to rip you apart for walking in without permission." He popped his knuckles and in one hard shove had him back out into the open office area where the 'magic' of kicking Kouga's ass would take place.

Kouga stood on the other side of the room, pulling a knife out of his sheathe and pointing it at Inuyasha. "Once I take you down, I'll get both the girl and the club."

Inuyasha just stared at him before removing his leather coat and taking one of his knifes out of the sheathes on his arms. He knew that this fight was about to turn serious, but even when Kouga was serious he was an amateur. He would never be a threat. "I'd like to see you try. The only thing you're going to get is a trip to the hospital."

Kagome leaned against the doorway and watched carefully, sensing that Inuyasha knew that Kouga would have to be beat pretty hard this time to get it through his head. What she didn't understand was why Kouga really wanted her as his woman. Why was she the special one with the demons? And why didn't Inuyasha just kill him anyway? If he beat his ass so many times, surely one blow to the head would kill that demon?

Kouga clenched his knife and seemed to disappear, and Kagome looked around for him carefully. Inuyasha didn't seem phased, though, and when Kouga reappeared in front of him he blocked the kick and knocked his other leg out from underneath him, forcing him into a back flip. Kouga landed instantly and started attempting to hit Inuyasha with the full force of his fists, but Inuyasha just effortlessly moved out of the way. It was fascinating Kagome to no end...she had never witnessed something like this before.

Finally, Kouga backed up a little and stopped fighting, panting and glaring at Inuyasha. "Why aren't you fighting back, half-breed?"

Inuyasha growled loudly. "I'm waiting for your pathetic attempts to hit me to end so I can knock you senseless."

Kouga charged him again, but Inuyasha took a swing at him with his fist, enough to catch him in the stomach. The full demon coughed and jumped back to kneel while holding his gut, an eye cracked open to stare at him. "That was unfair."

Inuyasha smirked. He crouched slightly and sprinted for the full demon, kicking him in the face and watching as he flew back a few feet. Kouga just shook it off after a second and stood, knife still in his hand. His expression told Inuyasha that he was going to really try and kill him this time.

That was a look Inuyasha was used to getting from people he was about to kill.

Kouga was ready and charged, this time managing to slash a deep cut down his arm and kick him in the face. Inuyasha went down but was wide-awake and gripped Kouga's hands effortlessly when he tried to stab him in the stomach. After a minute Inuyasha squeezed the hands and he dropped the knife, enough so that he could kick Kouga off and view any damage done.

He observed the cut on his arm and growled. "I really hope that's not the best you can do, Kouga, cause that was pathetic."

Miroku and Sango walked into the room about then, locking the door and staring with wide-eyes at the two demons. Sango eventually just shook her head. "Should I call an ambulance ahead of time?" She asked Miroku, but he just smirked and shook his head.

Kouga charged him again, but this time, Inuyasha punched him so hard in the face that Kagome heard a crack and watched him fall to his knees, holding his nose tightly. Blood began to leak from the spot and Kouga glared up at his boss with the most evil of eyes. He pulled back his hands and revealed a horrible mess of blood. "If I weren't a demon, that might have actually hurt me, dog breath."

Kagome snorted. "You're bleeding all over the place! What the hell are you talking about?"

Inuyasha pointed at her. "Just be quiet and stay out of it. He's too stupid to realize that."

Kagome huffed and crossed her arms, leaning against the doorway. "Whatever."

Kouga growled and stood again, piercing Inuyasha with his eyes. "Don't talk to her like that! She deserves much better than you!"

Inuyasha suddenly kicked Kouga from the side and watched as he went flying near the desk. He had hit his head and was now rubbing it carefully. "Don't you tell me what to do! I don't want Kagome anywhere near you, she'd end up killing you and getting blood all over her nice leather coat."

Kouga mumbled something that no human could hear, but Inuyasha instantly growled and in one jump was on top of him, beating the crap out of him with claws and fists. Kagome had wide eyes as she witnessed Inuyasha take Kouga's neck and punched his face once more. "I'll have you know that I can't kill you today, as I'd prefer to not have to kill in front of Kagome. But if you pull a stunt like this again, I'll take you out." He walked over to his door and threw him out, slamming the door and walking into this bathroom to clean himself up, free of any blood and to cleanse the wound on his arm.

Sango and Kagome stared at each other before Miroku broke the silence. "May I ask you a question, Inuyasha?"

"What?" Was heard from the bathroom along with the running of the faucet.

"Why choose not to kill in front of Kagome?"

A small popping noise was heard, as if Inuyasha had smacked the faucet down in place. He held a cloth to his arm as he came out of the bathroom, glaring at his friend. "Why do you think?" He stomped over to the desk and sat down while Kagome slowly paced over to him. She took his hand from him and forced him to let her see the wound. "How long until you can heal this, Inuyasha? I can see the bone."

He pulled it back and put more pressure on it. "Only an hour or two."

"Where are the bandages?"

He stared at her. "I don't need it."

She crossed her arms and eyed him. "WHERE are the bandages?" She asked again.

He growled slightly, preparing to say something else when he was interrupted by Kagome searching through his desk. He almost rolled his eyes, but found it flattering that she wanted to make sure of his safety. He knew not to even try to stop her, she'd just find the things she wanted.

She pulled out a long strip of bandages from the bottom drawer and smirked at him. "I found them!" She glared at him when he clutched his arm even more tightly. "You are not going to get rid of me until you let me put these on you."

He sighed and handed her his arm, watching as she wrapped the bandage tightly around it. It bled slightly, but it was already slowing down thanks to his healing. After Kagome had finished, she stared at him. "You can take them off when that thing is healed. This way, though, it'll keep you from bleeding."

He nodded and put his coat back on, covering the wound easily. Kagome sat on his desk near him and watched him. "So, _why_ can't you kill in front of me?"

He shrugged. "I just can't."

Miroku scratched his head after hearing something in his earpiece. "Inuyasha, we'll be back." He gripped Sango's arm and led her downstairs without so much as a second glance back towards his boss.

Kagome stared at him. "You know, I don't understand why Kouga thinks that he needs me."

Inuyasha smirked. He thought by now that girl would know it was obvious. "He thinks you're irresistible, and frankly he's not the only one."

She looked down, now slightly nervous that people other than Inuyasha were interested in her. "What is it about me that's irresistible, Inuyasha?"

He shrugged again, but it seemed to cause him a little pain with his injury. "I really don't know…you argue well, you're difficult, you're not a baby in any way and you know how to take care of yourself…I'm not sure _what_ he sees in you."

"Thanks a lot."

He grinned. "Don't worry about it, what he finds interesting in you doesn't matter because he's not ever going to have you. He'll end up getting seriously hurt if he continues thinking that."

Kagome sighed. She watched him flex his arm and his wrist, seeing him have slight difficulty with it. That made her uncomfortable and she couldn't help but feel partially responsible for it. They were, after all, fighting over her…well that and Kouga entering the office without permission. "Are you going to be alright?"

He glared at her, very unwavering. "Of course I am, I've had much worse than that little scrape that Kouga mustered up. That's the worst he's ever done to me and he'll never do it again."

"But it looks like you're having trouble with it, Inuyasha."

"It's just a little sore, my blood with heal it in an hour." He put his gloves back on so that the bandage was completely invisible to the naked eye. He picked up his phone when it rang and answered harshly. "What is it?" He listened intently and his expression turned even more serious than before. "I'm on my way." He hung up and stared at her carefully.

Kagome stared at him while he put his weapons back on. "Well?"

"You have no choice but to come with me, Kagome, so you stay right behind me and do every fucking thing I tell you, got it?"

"Yes." He finished with his weapons and grabbed her arm, leading her out of the room and downstairs into a crowd of his people at the door. He growled loudly and yelled to get everyone's attention. "Get the fuck out of the way, people!" And everyone moved back for him.

Miroku, Shippo and Sango stood at the doorway, restraining someone against the wall. Kagome couldn't get a good look at the person but could feel by Inuyasha's grip that the person worried him. He walked up and stood between Sango and Miroku as Shippo held the woman against the wall with his fangs bared and a glint of murder in his eyes. The woman looked at Inuyasha with amusement and sighed. "Hello Inuyasha."

Inuyasha growled, his ears even going back in response. "Who let you out of your cage, Kikyo?"

"I let myself out."

"What the fuck are you doing in my club?"

She smirked, running a hand through Shippo's hair and watching as he nearly bit her hand off. It made her only laugh. "Tell the cute guy here to put me down and maybe I will tell you."

"Shippo has never acted this aggressive towards an intruder, bitch, so what the fuck did you do to him?"

"What makes you think I did anything, Inuyasha?"

"Gee, I don't know, that gleam to kill you in his eyes?" He walked over to Shippo and pushed him aside as he gripped the collar of Kikyo's red shirt with his good hand. He put her nose to nose with him and snarled. "Now what the fuck do you want?"

"Why else would I be here? I came to get you."

"You're too fucking late, I kicked you out of my club a long time ago for your betrayal, and now you ask me to take you back in? Not even in your dreams, bitch."

"Who said anything about the club? I came to get YOU Inuyasha, not the club."

Inuyasha cocked an eyebrow at her. "What the fuck are you talking about? I had never belonged to anyone, especially not a mad whore like you."

"You were almost mine, Inuyasha. I almost convinced you to care about someone other than yourself."

"I have someone else to thank for that. You are leaving or I'll have you hog tied and use you as one of our practice targets."

"Someone else?" She sounded terribly disappointed and a little angry. Of course Inuyasha could care less about her feelings.

He growled and talked harshly through clenched teeth. "Did I stutter?" 

"Who?"

"No one you should know." He put her on her feet and gripped the back of her neck, opening the door to the club before preparing to shove her out. "Wait Inuyasha!"

"What the fuck is it now?"

She turned and looked at him, foolishly attempting to have the last word. "I wanted to say that I had worked hard to win your affections. I even almost got you to kiss me once. And you fucking turned that all away for some tramp that you probably picked off the side of the road?" She smacked him hard against the cheek and suddenly was introduced to the barrel of a gun above her nose.

Inuyasha didn't even pull it…

Kagome smirked and stared at the menacing bitch who dared to hit Inuyasha. "I'm sorry, I think you misunderstood. See, Inuyasha doesn't like your fucking face and neither do I, and now it's awfully loathing since your hand came anywhere near his skin."

Inuyasha crossed his arms and stared down at her, a bored look on his face. "_What_ did I tell you?"

Kagome growled and cocked the gun, never wavering it from Kikyo's face. "I know what you told me, but I'm not going to stand here and watch it."

"Where'd you get that gun, Kagome?" He asked in an already knowing tone.

"From your pocket, Inuyasha."

"I didn't tell you that you could have your weapons back."

"I didn't ask, and this isn't my weapon it's yours. Since you didn't use it, I decided to."

"We just had a talk about this up in my office, now didn't we?"

"Yes."

"You're not listening to me, damn it. Put my gun away."

She snorted and shook her head. "Not until this bitch leaves."

Kikyo jaw dropped. "HER? That ugly excuse of a woman is your new bitch, Inuyasha?"

Kagome put the gun to the floor and moved forward with her hand fisted. "I'll show you ugly…" Inuyasha grabbed her arm and pulled her back, staring carefully at Kikyo. "Get out, Kikyo, you've pissed her off."

"I can't believe my eyes, Inuyasha. You are letting her talk to you that way?"

"_She's my bitch_, that's what you said. You pissing off my left hand is not a good idea, but since I don't really care about you I should let her kick your ass to prove my point." He gripped her shoulder tightly, a very fake grin making it's way to his face. "But first…" He reached his hand out for the gun and Kagome shook her head, taking a step forward to get out of his way. "Give me _my_ gun, damn it!"

Kagome put it up to pointing at Kikyo again and shook her head. "Not until she leaves or I shoot her!"

"Kagome, don't make me fight you for it."

"Just let me shoot her and you'll get it back faster."

"You don't even know her."

"I don't give a rat's ass, she called me ugly and I'm about to wipe that bitch off the face of the earth."

Kikyo snorted and crossed her arms. She had a look of pure ignorant arrogance that pissed everyone off when they noticed. "You're just like Kouga, all talk and no bite. You couldn't hurt me if your life depended on it."

Inuyasha let Kagome go and took a step back, knowing it was now pointless to stop the oncoming beating because Kagome was being baited. Her scent was spiking with anger, and for a second he could have sworn that she had an aura…but he was just imagining it. "What did you _just_ say to me?"

"You heard me. All talk, no bite."

"You want me to bite, do you? You really want me to bite?" Kagome handed the gun back to Inuyasha and popped her knuckles, smirking slightly while she rolled up her sleeves. She then took a jump and pinned a shocked Kikyo to the ground, pounding the life out of her face. "You (smack) think (jab) I'm the (punch) ugly one (smack) you wait until I'm finished with you!" 

Kikyo screamed. "Let go! Oww! You stupid whore! Oww…" She reached up and grabbed Kagome's hair, pulling her head back down slightly. _Why couldn't I react? Why couldn't I hurt her?_ She waited until Kagome seemed to strain in pain before she viewed the damage done. Her lip was bleeding, and both her eyes were black. And if her nose wasn't broken then something was terribly wrong with it. "MY FACE! LOOK WHAT YOU DID TO ME!"

Kagome grabbed her hands and punched her cheek once more before Sango and Miroku pulled her off as instructed by Inuyasha when he decided that he had had enough. Inuyasha just stood there staring down at her, shaking his head slightly at the sight of Kagome struggling to beat some more sense into her. "You just had to bait her, didn't you bitch?" 

"How could you let her do that to me, Inuyasha?"

"It's all your fucking fault, and now _I'm_ the one who has to calm her down. Thanks for nothing, and you might want to call a doctor about your nose." He grabbed Kagome's arms from Miroku and Sango and pinned them behind her back, hauling her to her feet. He looked at Sango and sighed, furrowing his eyebrows. "Get that bitch back onto the sidewalk. I don't want her anywhere near my buildings again or Kagome is going to maul her and leave bloody traces everywhere." At her nod he turned and forced the panting Kagome upstairs while plastering his ears from all the names she was screaming at Kikyo. He was secretly impressed, but he had other things to worry about. _How the fuck am I going to get her to calm down…_

*~*~*^_^*~*~*

Kagome was struggling to get the handcuffs off her wrists as she sat in the chair in front of Inuyasha's desk. She had never been so angry in her life. "I'll kill that bitch!"

Miroku and Sango had just joined them and stood by the door, shaking their head slightly at the thought of seeing Kagome so uptight. Inuyasha paced in front of her and occasionally had to wordlessly push her back down in the seat so she didn't stand and attempt to get away. Putting her in handcuffs seemed to be the only way to control her without actually holding onto her, and he hated doing it. His ultimate goal was to get her to stop screaming things about Kikyo because his ears were really starting to hurt.

Sango's thoughts twisted, and she both wanted to laugh at Kagome's outbreak and to worry for her. "Kagome, she's gone. Stop trying to kill her."

"You make me, Sango. I'll slice her in half! Nobody talks to me like that, I don't even let _Inuyasha_ talk to me like that."

Inuyasha snorted and looked down at her. "Kagome, calm yourself the fuck down."

"Who the hell is she, Inuyasha? She _want's_ you back!" She added emphasis on the last sentence. Every word was spat with hatred towards that crazy woman, and she didn't know why...

He put an arm on each of the chair's arms and squatted in front of her. "She's an _ex_-club member who meant nothing at all to me, Kagome. She was kicked out when she betrayed me to Fluffy."

"She said you almost kissed her!"

"I _never_ even thought about something so disgusting, Kagome. I would never willingly touch that bitch, now stop panting because you're hurting my ears."

Kagome looked down at the floor but didn't stop panting as she continued to struggle against the handcuffs. "I need to hit something…let me off these handcuffs."

"Sorry, but until you smell normal again I ain't letting you go."

She stared at him, almost stunned with his choice of words. "_Smell_ normal?"

"Your scent is full of rage, and until that goes away your not getting off the handcuffs. I'm glad I decided to wait to give you your weapons back because you would have probably killed her."

"Who fucking cares if I killed her? Unless you are the only one who would miss her I don't see anyone else."

"I do not care about her, Kagome, so stop suggesting it."

"She's the one who did the talking before she smacked you, Inuyasha." She strained her arms in an attempt to get the handcuffs off. "Damn it I can't squeeze out of these. Did you have to make them so tight?"

"Yes, I did."

"Well stop it! My stupid self-defense classes don't come in handy when the handcuffs are so fucking tight!"

"I tightened them for a reason, Kagome, so stop fighting them." Inuyasha walked over to his desk and plopped down in the seat while staring carefully at Miroku. "So _explain to me _how that bitch got in."

"I have no clue, Inuyasha. She did something to Shippo, and I think he opened the door to her and then tried to kill her once he figured it out."

"Did you ever get Shippo to calm down?"

Sango nodded. "It wasn't easy, but we did. He's taking a breather by the bar."

"Well this is just great. She pissed Shippo off to an extent that I have never seen him act to before, she drove Kagome into another rage fit, and she smacked me without me hitting her back. What the fuck is it about that bitch that always changes everyone for the worst?"

"Don't worry about the hitting thing, Inuyasha, because Kagome shoved a gun in her nose." Miroku stated, smiling brightly and earning a smack to the gut from his girlfriend.

Kagome half growled and groaned as she fought against the handcuffs again. "I should have shot her head off right then and there!"

Inuyasha stared at her and then back at Sango and Miroku, his eyebrows raised suggestively. "See what I'm talking about? I figured she was a lot like you, Sango. There's no controlling her once she wants to kill someone."

"Do the last thing you did to get her out of it."

He snorted and crossed his arms, sarcasm dripping from his actions and words. "She won't let me, not when all she wants to do is kill Kikyo."

Sango smirked. "She's become even scarier than I am when she's so angry. She deserves to be your second."

Miroku smiled lightly, only to influence it more. "And your girlfriend."

"Just get the hell out and I'll see what I can do."

Miroku and Sango smiled slightly and nodded as they headed out. Inuyasha sighed for the earache he just might receive as he stood and got directly in front of Kagome again. She stared at him and sighed. "If I see her again you had better not hold me back."

"If you see her again then that means that she's in my club and I'd encourage you to beat the shit out of her." He bent down in front of her and stared her in the eyes as if he were reading her. "I _mean_ it, calm down."

She closed her eyes and tried to stop panting, but the words of Kikyo kept running through her mind. Every time she heard the voice of that bitch in her head she was filled with the urge to kill her all over again. She shook her head and opened her eyes to give him an honest answer. "I can't. Every time I close my eyes her fucking face comes into my head and her words ring throughout my ears as if I was hearing them again."

"Well if you don't calm the fuck down you are going to drive yourself into another blind rage fit. Your rage is bad enough when you're fully aware of it." 

"Well _sorry_ if she pissed me off!" She struggled some more and Inuyasha grabbed her shoulders, squeezing lightly as if willing her to listen. "Kagome, _stop_ right now."

She clenched her teeth. "You should have let me kill her when I had the chance!"

"Stop it _now_, I _mean_ it."

Kagome stared at his eyes and saw how serious he was, but no matter what she did it seemed that she couldn't calm down. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the seat, trying to calm her panting down before she hyperventilated or pissed him off. _Shit, I have never been this fucking angry before…but damn, the need to kill that bitch feels so good…_

She suddenly felt lips against hers with arms wrapping around her waist and felt herself instantly relax under his touch. She kissed him back and let all the anger and frustration slowly leave her with every breath she took. Wishing she could move her arms, she knew Inuyasha's handcuffs would prove to be too much. Her self-defense classes didn't teach her about how to get out of those tight situations where escape was _impossible_.

Inuyasha gripped her cheeks and pulled back hesitantly, staring into her glazed eyes. "Do you feel better now?" She nodded and he sniffed her neck carefully before taking out a key and unlocking her from the handcuffs. She rubbed her wrists and stared at him as he pocketed the set, still staring at her carefully. "You know you really shouldn't get yourself so damn worked up."

"I couldn't help it."

"You beat her face beyond recognition, Kagome. I think you did a nice job."

"So are you still going to kill everyone who harasses me and keep me out of the jobs? I can handle it, Inuyasha, really I can!"

"I know, I know." He sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "The only thing that worries me is that you'd get pissed off at someone and try to kill them in the middle of a job."

"Oh for Pete's sake, Inuyasha, I will not. I'll do whatever I'm told."

"Yea, right. That's what you told me when I led you downstairs, but you made moves and stole my gun anyway."

Kagome looked down in thought. "Oh yea, I forgot about that…"

"You're just lucky I'm nice to you or you would have been in big trouble."

"We still argued in front of everyone." 

"Well if you hadn't stole my gun I wouldn't have argued. I mean, it was fucking weird. I didn't even feel you take it."

"You should have already pulled out your damn gun and shot her face out."

"No, I should've just thrown her out so she didn't cause anymore shit than she already did."

Kagome looked down in thought. "You know, I think if I had hit her just a little harder on her left cheek and pushed up, I could have poked her eye out…"

Inuyasha grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him, resisting the urge to chuckle at her persistency. "No more Kikyo, she's _gone_, forget her. I won't let her back into the club, and certainly no where around you."

"What's the big deal, Inuyasha? Why don't you want me to kill her?"

He sighed and rubbed his eyes. The answer to that question was a lot more complicated than it seemed. "I don't want you to kill her because Kikyo is a Miko with ties to my brother. They have an agreement, and if something should happen to Kikyo, he would get a vision of what was happening and would kill the person hurting her."

She looked up and sighed, almost in wonder. She couldn't believe she didn't notice that. "Shit…why didn't you say something before?"

"Because I didn't want you to worry about it."

She hummed slightly and shook her head. _Time for a change in subject then…_

"Inuyasha, I have a question…"

"Yes?"

"What ever happened to that baby that you kidnapped?"

He smirked and leaned back until he was sitting on the floor flat on the floor. "I dropped the brat off at social services about a week ago. They didn't do much other than put it in a foster home."

"Good."

"You're such a softy."

"It's just a baby, Inuyasha, it couldn't help the fact that its father was stupid enough to mess with you."

"Yea, yea, whatever. I took it back and at least I don't have to deal with it anymore." He blew bangs out of his face and grabbed a folder off his desk, opening and reading its contents. Kagome stared at him while he did and crossed her arms in annoyance. She still wasn't going to know about the mission. _Great…just great!_

She stood and walked over to the door. "I'll have my cell phone if for _some_ reason you decide you need me." Then she walked out before he could object to anything she had said to quickly head back downstairs.

He leaned back with his mouth partly open because he wasn't quick enough to object. _Damn, she's quick…_he sighed and continued reading. It was a complete profile of what Sesshomaru had been doing lately, and what about him had changed. Sango took the time to write down the most important factor; he was starting to get sneakier and avoiding their spies more often. Inuyasha was instantly suspicious. Sesshomaru hadn't made a hit in a long time, since he first brought Kagome into the group. When he avoided hits for a while, it usually meant he was planning something big, and usually the outcome was bad for Inuyasha's gang.

"Sesshomaru, what are you going to pull this time?" He closed his folder and decided it was time to take action. He phoned Sango and Miroku up into his office and within minutes they were there. "Sango, have you noticed the other problem as well?"

"Sure, he hasn't made any hits."

"We have to know what he's planning. I have no idea how to do it, though."

Miroku sighed. "That's not our problem, Inuyasha. We already know what it's going to do. It'll have a lot to do with Kagome, but the question is, should _she_ know about it or not?"

Sango rubbed her eyes. "You guys are just going to piss her off if she finds out how much you've been keeping from her. She doesn't want to be treated like a child."

Inuyasha snorted. "The '_problem'_ is if she does find out, she'll either be scared shitless or she'll be very pissed off and I don't want her to be either. We keep it from her, for her own damn good."

Miroku looked bored. "You do realize that if she finds out you've been keeping shit from her she might not talk to you ever again?"

He sighed loudly as he tapped the floor with his boot. "Either that, or she'll yell until she's sure I'm deaf. I know the consequences, but it's better than her knowing and getting killed. We just have to take care of Fluffy before she finds out." He smiled evilly, looking around him at them both. "I think I have an idea, but you'll both kill me for it."

"What is it, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha continued to tell them of his idea, hearing the occasional scowl and gasp from Sango. Miroku just nodded his head, knowing that Inuyasha wouldn't back out and nothing they said would change his mind.

It was settled. They'd put the plan into action after Inuyasha had a talk with Sesshomaru. The biggest problem was keeping Kagome out of it, and making it so if she did find out, she wouldn't hate him forever.

Yes, that would go over _very_ well with Higurashi.

*~*~*^_^*~*~*

****

(A/N-There you have it! Now Inuyasha admits it and they are officially a couple! Thank you for bearing with me!

EXPLANATIONS-Just to answer some questions, Kagome's dad died and she blamed herself because she didn't talk to him and tell him that she was ok. I know it was mean of me, but don't be mad! It all means something in the future. 

And Inuyasha definitely has a heart now, but it pisses Kagome off because he doesn't want to loose her.

AND YES, I DID PUT KIKYO IN THE STORY. But I hate Kikyo, and trust me, she's going to die sooner or later. But I'm going to have her play the evil bitch she is for a while.

And there was another question about whether Inuyasha and Kagome were going to have a lemon or not…I do have one written out later on, but I'm not very good with lemons. You still have to bear with me. And Kouga got his ass kicked, but I can't kill him yet! He will probably die to, or something is going to happen to him.

Oh yea, Miroku IS a lecher, but in this story Sango doesn't give him much of a chance to be one because she's always with him. She's his girlfriend, and if you had a freaky girlfriend like that then you would try to stay on her good side, right?

Fluffy dearest is planning something, and there will be more jobs and fighting later on. Inuyasha has to keep Kagome, he doesn't want to loose her now that he finally does care about someone other than himself, which is why he's so protective of her. But he still does endanger her life, plenty.

SPOILERS-next chapter, Kagome gets hurt, but nothing bad will happen to her! Please believe me, I know what I'm doing!

I'd like to thank my reviewers! I can't do anything without them!


	7. Mutual Bond

A/N-Thanks again for the reviews, but I'd like to point out that, yes, I did put psycho bitch in my story. I had to, and you'll understand why later. But just so you know, she'll be hurt badly and probably killed by the end of this story ^_^

BTW, THANKS BRIAR, he gave me a slight suggestion that helped this story a little. I'll have Kagome interact more with the club, and I also promise that since I have already written the next few chapters, there will be plenty of missions for the club to go on.

And this chapter may make some of you mad, but take note that I do everything for a reason! It is, after all, my fic!

Oh yea, and Kagome IS a Miko, but that hasn't been revealed to the rest of the world yet. It was a secret that she kept to herself, but it will come out in a chapter or two.

Thanks!

Disclaimer-I wish I did, but I (sniffle) don't own Inuyasha.

Chapter seven-Mutual bonds

Miroku was forced to pry Kagome away from the fun she seemed to be having with the rest of the club. When he walked down the stairs to retrieve her, she was basically showing off her skills to random men who decided to test her out. At the current moment, she had Shippo in a headlock and was somehow making him scream for mercy. She obviously found it amusing as hell, as did the rest of the club.

But Miroku couldn't stop and wait for the drinks she had probably snuck to wear off, he had duties and orders to fulfill before Inuyasha got angry. He walked over and interrupted the little gig, causing the entire club to groan at the interference. But he stood his ground and held her elbow as he began leading her outside the club.

Once they had gotten outside, she had thought enough to ask him what was going on. "What the hell were you doing? I was showing the club how I operate."

His mind rattled. 'Think of something good, Miroku!' "I highly suggest you don't show the rest of the club what you're capable of, in case you must use it for future reference on someone."

"Oh brother, Miroku, you're worse than a modern day monk! I didn't give them my best moves or anything, so they still don't know what I'm fully capable of." She looked down at the ground before they entered the building. "What are we doing? You rallied me out without telling me a damn thing."

"We must go to your apartment, Kagome." He said as if it explained it all. His seriousness worried her slightly.

"Am I in trouble?" She asked out of the blue.

He shook his head. "No, Kagome, you're not in trouble. I would just…er…like to watch some movies and Sango was too busy at the moment to pry herself away from her work."

Kagome blew the bangs out of her face. "That is the most pathetic attempt at a lie I have ever heard." But Miroku ignored it as they entered her apartment.

Sango walked around the club, handing members a piece of paper that told them what their job was while they put all their weapons on. Miroku had already gotten his job; keeping Kagome busy until Inuyasha got to the apartment to take her. Kagome, of course, was naturally suspicious and she knew that something was going on, even though Miroku suggested otherwise and made himself comfortable on her couch.

Sango walked over to Kouga and handed him a piece of paper. "Here's yours, and Inuyasha says that you'll be first out on the field in case Sesshomaru strikes back immediately." She gave him a fake smile that had his destruction written all over it. 

Kouga snorted and took the piece of paper while reading it carefully. "Why the fuck are we doing this?"

"We're stopping his little plot dead in the tracks. The only rules this time say that everyone does _exactly_ what they're told by Inuyasha and NOBODY tells Kagome anything. She can't know about this."

"Why the hell not? I'd say that my woman has every right in knowing."

Sango glared at him instead of hitting him as hard as she could. "First of all, Inuyasha will kill you if he hears you walking around calling her yours, and she can't know for her own safety. If you really care about her as much as you claim to then you shut your fucking mouth and don't tell her anything because she could die if she knows. Got it?"

He snorted and started putting on his weapons. "Yea, whatever. I hope dog boy knows what he's doing this time."

"Inuyasha knows exactly what he's doing. Now if you'll excuse me, I have more papers to pass out." Then Sango left him to get ready as she continued handing out papers and explaining the rules. '_Oh, Kagome is going to love this…'_

Meanwhile, Miroku was lounging on her couch with her standing above him, arms crossed and eyebrows furrowed. "For the last time, what the hell is going on!"

"Nothing is going on, Kagome. I came over to watch a movie. You should sit down and relax."

"A movie, huh? Say, what's Sango doing?"

"Club business."

"And Inuyasha?"

"Also club business."  
"Then why are you here instead of doing club business?"

Miroku was caught off guard. "I uh…I'm on my break."  
Kagome smirked and pointed at him. "Ah HAH! You stuttered! That means you're lying! Tell me the truth!"

"I'm not lying, Kagome-chan…"

"Kagome-chan? You're from Japan, too?"

"Of course, why do you think that Sango calls me Hentai?"

"So are all of you from Japan?"

"The only one who wasn't born in Japan was Inuyasha, but his family originated there. I just never used my Japanese around here because no one likes to listen to it." '_Good, keep her talking and off the subject…'_

Kagome sighed and turned, heading for the door. Miroku shot up and grabbed her arm before she could get the door open and she stared coldly at him. "Let me go, Miroku. If nothing is really going on then let me out right now."

He sighed. "You can't, Kagome. Gomen."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Why not?" She almost smiled at his sudden use of Japanese. It was almost cute, but she was pissed off and wouldn't let that distract her.

"Because Inuyasha said you can't leave until he gets here."

She turned and stared at him. "What the fuck is going on, and I mean you had better tell me now or I will kick your ass, Miroku." 

He sighed and pulled her a little farther into the apartment, turning and locking her door so it would be hard for her to get it open. She stared at him. "MIROKU!"

"I can't, Kagome-chan, please believe me. Inuyasha would literally kill me."

Kagome sighed and stared at him. "I don't understand…something big is happening, isn't it?"

He motioned towards the couch and Kagome looked exasperated before she sat down on it. She crossed her arms and stared at him as he paced in front of her, a cold string of fear shooting down her spine. She hated this…knowing that something was up and that no one was allowed to tell her because Inuyasha told them not to. It hurt that he didn't trust her enough to tell her, and the fact that he had gotten everyone involved in keeping it a secret hurt even more. Why was it so important to keep her out?

"Miroku, why does Inuyasha not want me to know?"

He stopped and looked at her carefully. "I'll tell you that much, but he will seriously kill me if I tell you more." He sighed and knelt in front of her. "It's for your own safety, Kagome, that he keeps you out of this. It's not because he's being overprotective, but if you know you could seriously get hurt. That is why, Kagome-chan."

She sighed. "Then why didn't he tell me that? At least he could have told me I was in danger instead of sicking the worst actor in the world on me to make me think otherwise."

"He had to take care of everything else, Kagome. Now if he walks in and doesn't see you calmed down then I am in deep shit. Please relax?"

Kagome just stared at him. "Is he coming in here?"

"Yes, he will. Just act like I didn't say anything, though, ok?"

She sighed. "Alright, Miroku, but if it turns out to be something bad I'll kill you, got it?"

"Yes, yes. Sometimes I don't know who is scarier when they're angry, you or Inuyasha. But thank you, Kagome-chan." He sat down beside her on the couch and flipped the TV until it was on something good. Kagome could sense that Miroku was very nervous, probably indicating that he would already be in big trouble if Inuyasha found out how much was told. Kagome decided that no one could disobey Inuyasha without getting killed, and therefore, she wouldn't make it obvious. However, she would question him like hell when he got to her apartment because he knew she was naturally suspicious. Miroku might not get caught that way.

She crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently. _Come on…come on…hurry up, damn it Inuyasha! _She glared at the TV and then stood after about twenty minutes. "Alright, that's it, Miroku. What the hell is going on! I can't take it anymore!"

Miroku swallowed. "Kagome-chan…"

"No, I mean it now! I want to know what the hell is going on!"

At about that time, Inuyasha opened the door to her apartment and stomped in with his machinegun in hand swinging loosely by his side. "Alright, Miroku, I'll take her from here."

Miroku stood and almost bowed to Inuyasha because he was so grateful. "Thank you, Inuyasha." Then he left. 

Kagome glared at Inuyasha and almost growled. "Alright, he wouldn't tell me, so you tell me. What the hell is going on?"

He walked over to her and grabbed her arm. "Come on, I'll explain on the way. I'm surprised you didn't beat him up yet."

"By the sounds of it you would do all the beating, Inuyasha."

"Psh, whatever, just come on." He led her out of the apartment and slowly out of the building, hardly even noticing her while his ears and eyes searched everywhere carefully. Then when they were out, he put her in his limo and got in last to make sure no one had seen them.

As he sat down beside her, he started going through a bag and Kagome glared at him. "Are you going to tell me what's going on or not?"

"You're in danger…" He began.

Kagome snorted. "Yea, that's all I got out of Miroku. I get that, now WHY am I in danger?"

"Would you be quiet and let me?" He sighed and shook his head. "Our gangs are now fighting. My men against Sesshomaru's. I suspected that he was going to pull something because he hadn't made a hit since we took you in and that usually means he was plotting. I gave him a call and had it arranged that we would fight so he doesn't do anything like I'm thinking he might, but he sounded like he really wanted you there and that means he wanted to swipe you during it all. And before you say that you can handle it, let me remind you that Sesshomaru is a very, very old and powerful Youkai. I can barely handle him." 

She looked down. "Well, ok…but why did you keep me out of it?"

"Because you wouldn't have stayed put or listened to me if I did. You would have done whatever the hell you desired to and gotten yourself kidnapped. I do NOT want to loose you, and I meant it." He pulled out her weapons and helped her put them on, putting her guns back in her pockets and attaching her back sheathe. "I want you to use these if something happens, Kagome. If someone comes up to you that you don't know and they act suspicious, kill their ass and ask questions later."

"You're not going to stay with me?"

"I have to be in the fight, Kagome. It wouldn't be fair if I wasn't, and I am always fair with things like this. Don't worry, though. You'll have a headset and you'll be able to talk to Sango, Miroku and me." He pulled out his laptop from underneath the seat and set it up, logging onto the Internet. "Do me a favor, though and keep your eye on this." He pointed to a green dot. "If that gets anywhere near the red dot on the screen, let me know immediately."

"What are they?"

"People. Just do it, ok?"

"Ok." She looked down and sighed. "I know I might sound funny saying this, but please be careful Inuyasha. If something happened to you…"

He hugged her tightly and she relaxed. "Don't worry about me, Kagome. I'll be fine. You watch it, though, ok?"

"Sure."

He sighed and pulled back, kissing her deeply before putting the laptop on her lap and cocking his gun. He then handed her the headset that had both an earphone and a microphone to talk into. She put it on as the limo came to a stop and he smiled at her. "I'll be back…watch that dot." He opened the door and got out, taking off into a building that she couldn't recognize.

Kagome sighed and turned her attention to the laptop, watching the red dot. '_Ok, I know they're people…but who?' _She continued to watch as the green dot moved around a lot, not coming anywhere near the red one yet. She leaned back and got comfortable while Miroku's voice came over the headset. "Kagome, can you hear me?"

"Yep."

"Good, just checking." A gunshot was heard and he jumped. "Shit…"

"Miroku, how is it in there?"

"It's hell, but what can ya do? It's always like this when we fight. Shit, I gotta go…" Then he fuzzed out and Kagome couldn't hear anything anymore.  
Kagome had thought about it and decided to listen to him this time. She didn't feel like going out into such a dangerous mission yet, since she was still learning the ropes. Not to mention that she was the whole reason the gangs were fighting in the first place. 

She shrugged and looked back at the screen, watching the dot carefully. She'd have gone to sleep by now if her stomach didn't clench like she was being run over by a truck. She just leaned back and let her curiosity puzzle about what the dots could possibly be.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The gangs were in a full out battle against one another, and just by looking at them you would say that Sesshomaru would win because of his large numbers. However, one of his many faults was that he put weak people on his team, and he had no demons like Inuyasha did. Inuyasha, on the other hand, always chose his members carefully, thus his group could almost always win a battle such as this one. Hell, stick just Inuyasha, Sango and Miroku in there against Sesshomaru's gang and see if Inuyasha's gang loses any men at all.

Sango ducked behind some barrels and shot at Rin from across the room, ducking the automatic shot back and barely missing the hit. Sango looked around the room while she was under cover and grew nervous, grabbing her microphone while keeping all senses open to the world around her. "Miroku, do you see Sesshomaru anywhere? I lost sight of him. He was just standing over by Rin not too long ago, but now he's gone. He's worse than Inuyasha." An inhuman growl was heard over the phone and she sighed. "My apologies, Inuyasha."

Miroku dodged his own shot while back to back with Kouga behind some garbage cans. He grabbed his microphone and sighed. "Shit, no, I don't see him anywhere." The scream of men could be heard in the back round as Kouga shot a large round from his machine gun. He smirked and chuckled softly as Miroku scowled at him. "Gotcha, dirty bastards."

Sango clenched her teeth. "Inuyasha, we lost visual with Sesshomaru." She leaned forward and shot once at Rin while Rin retaliated, both women not breaking a sweat as they tried desperately to hit each other. Rin was ordered to take Sango out, but if Sango took out Rin then that could put Kagome in grave danger. She took the chance anyway though because she just plain didn't like Rin all that much. She was too emotionless, just like Sesshomaru, and if you didn't know what a person was thinking the outcome was usually bad.

Inuyasha was sneaking around in some shadows behind all the action. He would shoot the enemy from behind and then get behind a post to remain hidden. Only once had he gotten shot today, in the upper arm, but he grew smarter and started ducking around so that he could stay true to his name 'the shadow lurker'. Inuyasha being as sneaky as he was is one thing that makes him dangerous. That and his inhuman ability to take a shot and remain standing while healing it in less than a day. 

One of his favorite moves that he was famous for was to get up on a loft or roof above the opposing team and shoot them all from overhead before they noticed him there. His expensive machine guns always guaranteed that they were all going down. Well, all the humans, that is.

He growled softly, dropping his gun to grab the microphone and seeing if he heard correctly. "Shit, Sango, no visual?"

"None. He disappeared."

"Fuck…" He looked around and took a shot at Rin, hitting her in the back and watching her fall with a scream. "If that don't bring him out, then nothing will."

Sango widened her eyes and paled. "Shit, I think you killed her, Inuyasha!"

'No, she's got an aura…at least for now.' "What's your point? I'm bringing him out."  
Miroku sighed and spoke. "Fluffy dearest will do one of two things…he'll either kill us all with rage, or his senses will hype up and he'll find and kill Kagome for revenge."

Inuyasha sighed. "He'll come out, and I'll kill him."

"You are thickheaded, Inuyasha. Call Kagome and find out what's going on."

"Ok, ok." He switched on a switch on the microphone and began talking. "Kagome? Where's the green dot at?"

Kagome snapped out of her half sleep-like state and looked at the computer and sighed. "The green dot is slowly moving to the West…wait…it disappeared!"

Inuyasha almost ripped his headphones out when he heard that. "SHIT!" He took a glance at Sango and told her with his eyes that he was out of this fight. She nodded and continued shooting like the rest of the gang, avoiding as many shots as she could while taking down at least two more men.

Kagome watched the screen carefully, looking for the green dot. All of a sudden, the dot appeared not even an inch from the red one and she gasped. "Inuyasha, the green dot is right next to the red one…what does that mean?"

He was running full out. "Kagome, get your gun out."

Kagome listened and sighed while cocking her gun. "What for?"

"The red dot is the limo. The green dot is Sesshomaru, and I just pissed him off like you wouldn't believe. Shoot like crazy if you see him, and if that doesn't work stab him with silver knives."

She grew frightened. "Inuyasha? Why the HELL did you do that!" She shrieked. She could sense his presence outside, and knowing that he was full demon was the icing to the cake.

"Hold on, I'm almost there!"

Normally, Kagome wouldn't have been worried. Her self-defense classes taught her a lot, and she was now grateful that her father had made her take them.

But none of her training would do any good against a full demon, and she couldn't use her other abilities without being found out. No, there just weren't many options tonight.

Suddenly, the door of the limo was ripped off and Kagome screamed as she began to shoot at Sesshomaru. Strangely, he wore strange ceremonial white robes and looked hundreds of years old, but Kagome couldn't sit and stare. He leaned in and grinned at her. "Those are futile attempts, Kagome Higurashi." He then climbed in and grabbed her elbow, jerking her out of the limo while she attempted to deafen him with her screams and maybe get lucky by breaking loose with all her struggling. 

Kagome held back a scream after a moment_. 'I still have a chance!' _She pulled out the knives on her arms and stabbed him in the stomach, receiving only a slight jump and a sigh from him as he stopped to glare at her. Kagome widened her eyes. '_I think I'm in deep shit…'_

Sesshomaru grabbed the back of her neck in just the right position so that she felt if she moved she would be paralyzed. He lifted her off the ground, walking into the building as if he was carrying a sack of potatoes. Kagome held onto his arm to keep from hanging and gulped. "Alright, fine. What do you want with me?" She said calmly, even though he could smell her fear.

"Inuyasha has made the ultimate mistake, and you know the cliché, an eye for an eye, Kagome Higurashi."

"Does that mean you're going to kill me?"

"Most certainly, and painfully in front of the entire club." He said this as if talking about having tea with friends.

She sighed. "Could you at least knock me out first?" 'Maybe if I'm nice he'll grant me a last request.' she thought with disgust.

Sesshomaru growled. "Oh, no. You'll be awake until I kill you." He pushed open the door and walked up a flight of stairs. It was too dark for Kagome to see anything other than when he reached the top, and then she could see all the sparks of the guns shooting. Sesshomaru cleared his throat as he hit the top. "INUYASHA!"

The guns stopped flying and people from Inuyasha's club gasped while Sesshomaru's took their chance and retreated. Kagome heard Sango in her microphone calling for Inuyasha and Miroku walked over to her. "You have to be the negotiator while Inuyasha's not here." He stated urgently, concern for Kagome written all over his face.

Sango stood and pointed a gun at him. "Inuyasha's busy, I'm the one to speak with."

Sesshomaru brought his claws around and they glimmered in the light. "Well then, are you prepared to watch the second in command go out very painfully?"

"Can we negotiate, Sesshomaru?"

"No." He said coldly. "Rin was shot and killed, and now it's my turn." 

Sango sighed. "Can we make an exchange?"

Sesshomaru eyed her carefully and Kagome shook her head violently. "Sango, no. I'm prepared to take the punishment, no one else deserves to."

Sesshomaru instantly put a hand over her mouth and added enough pressure to break her neck if she was against another hard surface. "Who would you exchange?"

Sango put her gun down to her side. "Me. Inuyasha needs his second, I'm only his third, but I'm still important to him. Kill me painfully, leave her alone."

Kagome shook her head as Sesshomaru seemed to think about it. '_No! Sango, I won't let you…'_ she bit Sesshomaru's hand and he growled, pulling it away instantly. "NO! I'm killing this bitch right here. She doesn't deserve to even grace my filthy brother's gang."

Sango widened her eyes and scolded Kagome like a child. "Kagome! Stop that!"

Kagome shook her head. Sesshomaru put his claws against her stomach and put a foot on a bar near the edge, adding drama to the entire thing. Everyone in Inuyasha's gang was well aware that they were about to watch a gang member be badly injured, and Inuyasha would most likely loose it since it was Kagome. 

"Well Sango, I see it pains you to see this bitch hurt, so since I am eager for the pain of more than Inuyasha, I'll watch you suffer as a reward."

Sango shook her head and pointed the gun again. "Sesshomaru! I killed Rin!" She lied.

That stopped him in his tracks. "That's impossible. The only one even capable is Inuyasha. Rin wouldn't have let you kill her."

"I'm a good shot, and Rin was careless. Leave Kagome alone and kill me!"  
Sesshomaru shook his head slightly after a moment. "I don't believe you…" He then dug his claws into Kagome's stomach, listening to her scream in pain. Sango gasped and pointed the gun. "Take aim!" Everyone in the club aimed at Sesshomaru and she screamed out the next. "IF anyone hits Kagome I'll kill them!"

Sesshomaru was wrist deep in Kagome's stomach and she nearly passed out, but something kept her from doing that. She couldn't find her voice. The only thing she could feel was the numbness of his hand in her stomach, continuing to push slowly through. She then found that she couldn't breathe, but she was thankful for the numbness instead of the pain. 

A large silver knife suddenly went around Sesshomaru's neck and pulled him down, forcing him to let go of Kagome and fight off the one with the sword. Inuyasha growled incredibly loud as he pushed the knife into his brother's throat and pinned him effectively on the wall. "I told you to never, EVER touch Kagome!"

Miroku and Sango were up there in a minute flat, picking Kagome up and taking her downstairs. She was barely conscious, but she might as well have been sleeping. She couldn't hear, she couldn't focus, and she had no idea what was going on other than she was just gutted by Sesshomaru. '_At least I'm alive…'_was her last thought as she slowly passed out.

Inuyasha and Sesshomaru were now battling with the sword, and Sesshomaru snarled. "You dared to shoot at Rin! Now I'll kill you along with your intellectual, smart ass bitch!"  
"You didn't kill Kagome! She's alive and she'll make it out of this!" He snapped back. "Unlike your bitch, she's strong!"  
Sesshomaru smirked, and Inuyasha's stomach jumped. "Kagome has been infected with the poison from my claws, little brother. She may not be dead now, but she will be."

Inuyasha widened his eyes as the anger flowed through his veins, causing all his blood to rush to his head. His eyes glowed red, and his claws grew longer, poking through his gloves. The same markings that his older brother had appeared on his cheeks and his fangs grew longer. He was turning Youkai with blind rage.

Sango and Miroku got Kagome to the bottom of the stairs, but Sango knew the warning. She stood and put fingers in her mouth to whistle loudly. "CODE GREEN! Everyone out now!" And all of Inuyasha's people took off out the front door in fear that Inuyasha wouldn't change back in time to stop himself from killing everyone.

Miroku put a hand on her shoulder. "I'll get Kagome, you stay and see if you can help Inuyasha."

Sango shook her head slightly. "I'll stay, but the only one who could possibly help him is Kagome." She turned and looked at her. "She's pale. I think Sesshomaru informed him of something. Get her to my limo and wait for me." Then Miroku nodded and picked her up over his shoulders, running out the door.

Inuyasha and Sesshomaru were now fighting with claws, stabbing at each other and fighting with equal power. Inuyasha almost smacked his brother's head off his shoulders and Sesshomaru fell, feeling Inuyasha step on him and prepare himself to stab the older sibling. Sesshomaru almost couldn't take it. "Inuyasha, release me and fight with honor."

"No fucking way, I'm going to make you regret ever knowing me…" 

"I already regret it, Inuyasha. Simply pinning me and killing me is not honorable at all."

He growled and snapped his teeth. "Does it look like I care about honor? I'VE NEVER HAD HONOR BECAUSE I WAS HANYOU! Well maybe if I kill you I can regain some of that honor, because no one has ever killed someone as 'powerful' as you claim to be."

Sesshomaru was about to say something else when Inuyasha dug his hands into his brother's stomach, ripping with his claws anything that he could get a hold of. "An eye for an eye." He growled. Sesshomaru fought and fought to get his brother away from him, but he knew that the fight could not be won this time. He disappeared before Inuyasha could finish him off and he flew in a lighted ball down towards Rin. "You've won this time, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha growled. "Damn right I win!" He assumed a fetal position on his knees to attempt to control his demon side from craving blood. Kagome needed him, and he couldn't be like this around her. He couldn't be a monster.

He craved death and blood. He wanted to slash through flesh and set loose the red liquid that meant life or death. He almost needed it, and the more he thought about it the more he wanted it. But then the realization hit…

Kagome would die if he didn't help her. Only he knew how to save her, and only he could do it safely. With the thought of Kagome dying on him, he managed to change back to himself and relax completely. He was amazed, too, because he had never changed back before without some help.

Relieved that he could save himself with more control, he stood and quickly ran out of the building just as Sango ran in to check on him. She sighed with relief. "Inuyasha…"

He grabbed her elbow. "Where is she?"

"She's in my limo and she's fading fast. If you want a ride home you have to ride with us, Inuyasha, your limo is trashed beyond recognition."

He nodded and ran like a blur to Sango's own limo, getting in and seeing that she had Kagome laid out across the floor on a blanket. Miroku was attempting to clean the blood when he stared at Inuyasha. "We aren't too sure about what to do…"

Inuyasha was on his hands and knees, removing his coat and weapons as quickly as he could. He glared at Miroku and sighed. "Take off her shirt."

Miroku widened his eyes. "What?" 'Is Inuyasha just trying to get me to do something so he can kill me?!'

"DO it or I'll kill you!"

Miroku nodded and cut her shirt off with his knife, watching as Sango entered the limo out of breath and with wide eyes. "I hope there's a good reason you're doing that."

Inuyasha growled as a response and took his own knife out of the sheathe, getting closer to her wound. He glanced at Miroku and Sango as she shut the door and the limo sped off. "Back away and stay like that."

They both got up onto the seats and observed Inuyasha carefully. He put his wrist over her wound and sliced, dripping droplets of his blood into the wound. Sango and Miroku just watched with wide eyes until Sango gulped. "Inuyasha?"

"Quiet." He made sure that her entire wound was covered in his blood when he pulled it away and covered it with his hand until the small cut healed. He leaned back and watched as her complexion paled and her lips turned blue, then he reached down and picked her up, holding her close to him. He glared at Miroku. "Is there a blanket or something in here?"

Sango nodded slightly and grabbed a blanket out of the secret compartment, handing it to him. He wrapped it around both of them as he clutched her tightly, attempting to give her as much of his warmth as needed. Miroku decided it was time to ask questions even though it was obvious that Inuyasha was not in the mood to socialize. "Inuyasha, do you mind me asking what you did?"

He sighed and began to stroke her hair. "I'll tell you once, so listen up. When Sesshomaru jabbed her, he released poison from his claws. The only way to possibly save her from that was to give her my blood so she gains my healing power, and gain extreme immunity to Fluffy's poison. I'm holding her because she'll heal faster with body heat. I will hold her for as long as it's needed to heal her, and I will kill anybody that tries to take her from me. I would make that clear to everyone else if I were you."

They both nodded and Sango hesitantly asked her own question. "So will she only gain your healing powers?"

"Yes."

"She won't change appearance or anything?"

"No. She'd get a little stronger and harder to hurt, but that's nothing to be worried about unless you're planning on picking a fight with her."

"Ok. So what do you want us to do?"

"You gave everyone the code green, didn't you?"

"Yes, they're all waiting back at the club for further instruction. I saw your eyes go red and the slashes on your face and I knew that you would have the need to kill."

He looked down and leaned his head on Kagome's shoulder. "You're limo driver will drive us around all night. I'll have him drop you and Miroku off so you can watch the club, ok?"

"Sure, Inuyasha." She picked up the phone and informed the driver on what was happening, and after telling him the situation he was more than happy to comply. Especially since both Inuyasha and Sango paid so well.

She smirked. "You want me to kick Kouga's ass if he causes any trouble at all?"

Inuyasha snorted. "If that bastard back-talks, insults, threatens you or calls Kagome his woman then I want him hog tied when I get back."

"Yes Inuyasha."

"Miroku, take Kagome's shirt and hide it from him or you'll really have to secure him."

"Yes Inuyasha."

"And stop that! You're being too obedient."

"Well, we don't want to piss you off because you seem agitated as it is with Kagome's position."

He leaned back and glanced at her sleeping face, noting how she looked normal with his warmth. "She should be fine, so I'm not terribly worried about it." 

The limo pulled over in front of the club and Sango and Miroku picked up everything they needed to take with them. Sango sighed. "I'll have my cell phone. Would you like me to call you if needed?"

"Yes, but I'd prefer if it's only when you have to."

"Yes, Inuyasha." Then they were out of the limo and it sped off, leaving Kagome and Inuyasha alone.

He sighed. Now he could do what was necessary. He stripped off his remaining shirt, leaving him bare-chested. Lifting up the blanket slightly, he eyed her bra and almost shrugged_. 'My mother did tell me that there should be no fabric interfering…'_he fingered it and sliced it off, but was respectful enough not to take advantage of her being injured. He quickly removed the piece of flimsy fabric and snuggled her closer to him so that her wound actually touched his stomach. He almost jumped out of his skin when Kagome moved and snuggled her cheek into his chest, moaning softly. Inuyasha kissed her forehead and continued to stroke her hair. '_She's going to feel it when she wakes up, I can almost guarantee it. I wonder if she's going to kill me when she finds out she's shirtless.'_

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Quiet, damn it!" Sango screamed at the top of her lungs. She was the leader when Inuyasha was gone, but the only thing she did to prove her authority was standing up on the bar above them all. The club had decided that while Inuyasha wasn't around, they would have a meeting in the main hall to answer all the questions. Of course, they were throwing them faster than Sango could stop them. 

"Hey bitch, explain to us why the hell we didn't stay and finish off that club! We had them in our clutches until Inuyasha shot Rin!" One of the men hollered, receiving an agreement throughout the club as everyone looked to her for answers.

Sango snorted and took a drink of her beer. "Inuyasha knows what he's doing, we are in no position to question his decisions."

Miroku stood beside her on the bar. "Besides, who here actually has the balls to get in his face and ask these outrageous questions?"

The club was quiet for a moment before another man decided to speak up. "Look, I think we all have the fucking right to ask what the hell is up with him lately. Ever since that new member joined he's been going soft."

Sango pointed at him. "You're lucky that he lets you go anywhere at all! And you should be thankful to Kagome because she actually opened up his nice side. Do you realize that if she hadn't come along, he would probably still be killing his own members without second thought? Come on, people, Kagome is good for the club!"

"She never interacts with us!"

Miroku snorted. "What the hell are you talking about? She was demonstrating her skills yesterday, and as I remember it she had a full Youkai in a head lock!"

"Shippo's not that strong of a demon!" Another man shouted.

Sango glared at the man. "HE'S STILL A DEMON! They are pretty powerful, and besides, Kouga's been knocked out twice by her. Even Inuyasha was phased by her punch."

A large buzz went through the club as people talked about it. Sango sighed. "Listen up! Kagome's still a member of this club, and Inuyasha's still the boss. He hasn't changed all that much except for actually deciding on other people's decisions. I'll take one good request and discuss it with him later, but it had better be good." 

Everyone agreed, as they knew that Sango was one of the only people who could negotiate with Inuyasha. As they talked amongst themselves, Shippo shouted out. "Well how about getting Inuyasha to discuss his problems with some of the club? You know, have us make some decisions."

Miroku stared at him like he was insane. "Asking Inuyasha to do something like that is like asking rain not to be wet, Shippo. He's the boss."

"He always talks to you and Sango and Kagome, but he never talks to the rest of the club. Besides, it's his rule; this club looks out for one another. If he wants that to happen, he has to discuss some of his situations with us."

Sango looked around and sighed. "IS that the only decision?" When everyone agreed, Sango nodded. "Alright, it's settled. And since I'm in a good mood, I'll give you all advice. Inuyasha's got himself a problem, you all saw what happened to Kagome in the warehouse. I suggest no one talks to him and no one says anything about Kagome until he takes care of it."

Miroku crossed his arms and looked at Sango. "How is she, anyway?" He asked quietly, but enough for everyone else to hear and ask the same question.

"She'll be fine, but I mean it. Everyone stay the hell away from Inuyasha." Then she jumped down off the bar and watched as people scattered to play darts or drink while playing pool. They would all think seriously about what had been discussed, as they didn't have meetings often.

Miroku jumped down and put a hand on her shoulder. "Good speech, Sango. You do make a good point."

Sango sighed heavily and rotated her shoulder to loosen up. "Yea, but it's always a pain in the ass trying to make the club understand minor problems."

"At least they listen to you majority of the time." He glanced at his watch and sighed. "It's almost dawn. Come on now, Sango, we must be patient, as both of us have something to discuss with Inuyasha when they arrive."

Sango smirked. "I wonder how Kagome will react to her shirt being cut off of her, and by you, no doubt. It would have pissed me off, if Inuyasha hadn't told you to."

"My, my, how merciful of you, Sango. I have never known you to give me any credit at all about being a lecher. In fact, I think for the most part, you have broken me of the habit."

She glared at him. "Yet get back into it again and you'll know the true definition of pain." She said dangerously. Popping her knuckles, she looked at her own watch and sighed. "We'll wait for them at the door." Then she led him towards Shippo's station to have a serious talk with him.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~~*~*~*~~*~*~*~~*

The limo had ridden around all night long and it was almost dawn. Inuyasha hadn't moved Kagome at all, but she was beginning to get more restless. Her wounds wouldn't be healed all the way for another couple of days, and he knew that she would feel immense pain that she wouldn't have thought imaginable today. All he could do was stroke her hair more and hold her tightly while she fought the pain in her sleep.

He was glad that his little bonding spell worked for two parts. Now Kagome was immune to any poison that Fluffy dearest could throw at her, and she could heal all her wounds faster with Inuyasha's body heat. Not anyone's body heat in particular, no; it had to be Inuyasha's. He had smiled when he found out that a bonding spell only works the way the person giving it wanted it to. Of course, Inuyasha knew that he would always be there to heal her wounds. He had been here for (2) centuries already, and nothing would happen to him to erase him off the earth if it hadn't already.

Inuyasha had also taken notice that he could feel her comfort level like an extra aura. Normally, it didn't seem like Kagome had an aura at all (as normal humans wouldn't), so unless she was extremely skilled in hiding something like that from him, she definitely didn't have one. Inuyasha could sense that she was in pain, like a sharp jab at the edge of his brain, and he would be able to sense if she was in distress by the way he felt when he was around her. If he stood anywhere around her and felt miserable, chances are that's how she felt at the moment. He had no idea how it would affect Kagome's senses with him if she didn't have a natural aura. Then again, there were a lot of things about Kagome that he didn't know.

The telephone rang and he instantly picked it up, almost whispering. "Yea?"

"Sir, when would you like to be taken back to the club?"

He glanced at Kagome and knew it wouldn't be much longer until she woke. "Just give me a few minutes, I want to wait until Kagome wakes up. You know you're getting paid triple tonight, so just wait till I call you."

"Yes sir." 

He hung up and listened to an extremely loud moan from Kagome as she slowly opened her eyes. 

She couldn't feel anything but immense pain and a slight numbness. She couldn't remember anything at first, as her top priority was to figure out where she was. She found her face lying against skin and she cocked an eyebrow. Slowly, Kagome pulled her arms up and put them against his chest, pushing up slightly to look Inuyasha in the eyes. "In…Inuyasha?"

He smiled slightly and stroked a piece of her hair. "You're awake."  
She nodded and tried to sit up more, but was forced back down by a shot of pain in her stomach. She put her hand up against her mouth to muffle her moan and leaned back on his chest with her eyes clenched shut. He wrapped his arms around her more securely and rocked her slightly, doing his best to ease the pain. When the wave passed, she sighed loudly. "Shit…"

He kissed her forehead. "I wouldn't suggest you move, Kagome. Your wound's still healing."

Kagome sighed deeply before she noticed that she was shirtless and gasped slightly. "Uh…where's my shirt?"

He smirked at her. "Don't worry, Kagome, I did only what was necessary. I didn't look."

She gripped him tighter and closed her eyes, forgetting the many arguments she wanted to throw at him. "What happened?"

"You were badly injured and poisoned by my brother, and I saved your life. I told you I wouldn't let you die."  
It slowly started to come back to her. "It felt numb last night. And how did you save my life? If I was poisoned, I should be dead, right?"

He leaned his head on hers. "You _would_ be if you didn't know me. I gave you some of my healing power, and your wound will be completely gone in a couple of days."

"Whoa…" She sighed and smiled slightly at her next question. "My shirt is ruined, isn't it?"

"And your bra, yep."

She almost laughed at his comfort level with this conversation. Other men would have been blushing or stuttering like crazy by now. "Interesting…who removed them?"

"Miroku took your shirt off. Don't worry, though, I wasn't in the mood to put up with lechers and he knew it."

She felt like smiling, but she didn't as another wave of pain slowly throbbed in her stomach. "So skin on skin contact heals the wounds faster?"

"Yes, especially wounds as bad as yours."

She backed up a little and crossed her arms over his chest, leaning her chin on them. "You didn't look?"

"No…I just cut it off and threw it over there somewhere."

"So how am I going to get out of this limo if my clothing's ruined?"

Inuyasha sighed. "Would you stop worrying and relax? I'll handle everything. I know what I'm doing."

Kagome nodded slightly and leaned her forehead on him. "It's light outside…how long have we been in this limo?"

He snorted. "You _can't_ stop worrying, can you?"

"Sorry, it's a sickness."

"We've been in this limo all night, waiting until you woke up." He reached over to the phone and grabbed it. "Take us back to the club. Make it a smooth ride."  
"Yes Sir." 

Inuyasha bent down with his hand holding Kagome to him and picked up his shirt. "Now in order for this to work, you'll have to be comfortable and relax. You'd be better off if you went to sleep." He leaned her back and took the blanket, wrapping it around her carefully. He sat her down on his lap with her head leaning against the wall of the limo as he put his shirt and coat on. 

Kagome stared at him. "So where are you putting me?"

He looked down and sighed. "In my home."

She raised an eyebrow. "I didn't know you had one, Inuyasha. Sango said that you spent so much time in your office it's like you didn't need one."

"I do spend a lot of time in my office, but no one would know about my place because I hide it well. I don't let just anyone go in."

"So I'm special?"

"Of course you're special. I wouldn't have done this to just anyone." The limo came to a stop and he lifted her up, bridal style and took her out onto the sidewalk. The blanket covered everything but her head, and she decided to lean on his shoulder and inhale carefully to reduce the pain while he walked into the club.

Sango and Miroku were standing near the door, observing Kagome carefully. Sango looked relieved. "Kagome, you're awake."

Inuyasha sighed. "Can you guys keep the club under wraps for a while?"

"Sure, there's nothing we can't handle."  
Miroku put a finger on his chin and looked down as if in thought. "Though I've just now noticed that I haven't seen Kouga all night."

Inuyasha snorted. "That bastard better have gone to his apartment." Then he took Kagome upstairs and into his office.

Inuyasha locked his door and Kagome stared at him carefully, not saying anything. He pointed at her. "This isn't it, so don't ask." She just nodded as he walked over to a large picture on the wall. He lifted it up and revealed a combination lock, which he instantly gave the password and heard a beeping noise. A portion of the wall then rose up, and Inuyasha held Kagome close as he entered.

The lights came on when they entered and Kagome gaped at his apartment complex. "Inuyasha…this place is incredible."

"I know, that's why no one else knows about it." He walked into the living room and carefully laid her down on the black leather couch, turning on the big screen and handing her the remote. "I have to do one more thing that will only take a minute, so don't get up, make yourself comfortable. You want something _non-alcoholic_ to drink?"

Kagome smiled slightly. "Do you _have_ something non-alcoholic?"

"No, but I have to leave for a moment, and Sango will get me whatever you want."

She smirked and shook her head, carefully leaning back against the couch to make herself more comfortable. "I'll just watch your lovely television and gaze about the wonders of your complex."

He sighed with a smile. "You are such a smart ass. I'll be right back, DON'T MOVE." He kissed her cheek and walked out of the apartment, hearing his boots make the clinking noise against the floor.

He made his way downstairs and headed over to Shippo. "Shippo, whatcha got on security?"

Shippo looked up from a surveillance camera and sighed. "Well Inuyasha, we have a tape now recording for every camera, the sidewalks are monitored, and then you have people in disguises walking around outside to check for strange activity. All in all, if you wanted to take the week off, you could do it successfully without someone pulling something in our area."

Inuyasha shivered absently. 'Damn it, I need to get back to Kagome.' "Shippo, keep monitoring and tell Miroku of any changes. Then tell him to tell Sango and have her rally the club to take care of the problem. For the next two days I should be pretty busy, so I'm making sure that the club is in good hands."

Shippo did the soldier salute. "Aye, captain." He turned and kept his face on the screens to watch for suspicious people. That taken care of, Inuyasha headed back up the stairs.

Kagome exhaled carefully and looked around his apartment. If she thought that Inuyasha was a rich technology fanatic before, she was now overblown with the proof. Everything he had seemed almost new age, or at least very expensive. Paintings on the wall that had to be worth hundreds, the huge TV and entertainment center, the leather couch she was lying on and two leather chairs on each side, and beautiful light fixtures that lit up his entire apartment. In fact, by the looks of it, it made sense that he didn't own anything but alcohol, and she was betting that it was all consisted of the most expensive brands.

The TV had Satellite and Kagome quickly changed the channels to the news. '_I shouldn't watch the news…I shouldn't watch the news…'_she knew the last time she watched the news she had her nervous breakdown, and while injured on Inuyasha's couch with all his expensive things around she wasn't willing to start up again. She quickly changed the channel to Fox and watched That's 70's Show as she adjusted herself constantly to stop feeling the sting of the wound.

Kagome was suddenly aware that she was cold, and she snuggled into the blanket more. Cautiously, she looked around to make sure she wasn't being watched for some reason, and then lifted up the blanket to observe her wound. She widened her eyes at the sight. She could actually see her organs, but it looked a lot better than she would have originally thought. She reached a hand down and prepared to touch it when Inuyasha's door came open and he walked back in, seeing her and snorting. "Don't touch it!"

She rolled her eyes and wrapped the blanket around herself more securely. "I just wanted to see if it was real."

"Of course it's real! What are you, nuts? Don't touch your injuries, Kagome." He walked even further in and proceeded to remove his coat and shirt. "Did you find something interesting on?"

"I guess so. You have a lot of nice stuff, Inuyasha."

"I'm a very picky person. If it wasn't exactly the way I wanted it I gave them shit until it was." He smirked when she laughed and continued over to the couch, sitting down closely beside her. He pulled her into his lap and tugged on the blanket, staring at Kagome carefully when she wouldn't let him have it. "We have to have skin contact for it to work correctly."

She sighed and opened the blanket, leaning into his chest as he put his arms around her. He turned to lean on the couch's arm so that Kagome could see the television. She basically put her knees on the couch, straddling his outstretched legs, and snuggled her cheek on his chest to watch the movie. He had made himself completely comfortable with one hand rubbing her back and the other stroking her hair, one knee in the air with his head lying on the couch pillow.

They lay there and watched television for a long time, Kagome being lulled into sleep because of the movements of Inuyasha's hands. She wrapped her arms tightly around his waist and listened to the steady beating of his heart as her eyes closed and she fell asleep.

Inuyasha waited until he was certain that Kagome was asleep before moving and adjusting himself on the couch. He made himself lean up a little more on the couch arm before kissing her forehead and resting his eyes, not exactly going to sleep but as close as he could have gotten.

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(A/N- sorry, that's all for now! Read and review!)


	8. The Horrible Truth

Disclaimer-Still don't own Inuyasha. **Sigh**

(A/N-Thanks for all my reviews, you all are wonderful! Short chapter up ahead, but more is on the way!)

Chapter 8-The horrible truth

Sango sat at the bar to help keep an eye on people, watching as everyone moved around the club either playing or drinking an unhealthy amount of alcohol. She had made sure never to get involved if a club member managed to get alcohol poisoning. It was, after all, none of her business if they wanted to endanger their own lives. It was only her business when it concerned Miroku, Kagome, or perhaps even Inuyasha, but it wasn't like he would ever get sick.

She took a drink of her beer and looked around until she spotted Miroku coming towards her with a slightly confused look on his face. "Say, Sango…"

"What did you do now, Miroku? You have that guilty gleam in your voice." She gave him her full attention while she sipped her beer, making sure to only take a sip and not chug the entire thing.

He laughed nervously and played with something on his belt. "Strangest thing…I went up and knocked on Inuyasha's door, you know, to ask him a question, only he's not there."

"How do you know he's not there? Maybe he just didn't want to answer you and wake Kagome up."

"No, he's not there. I checked."  
Sango eyed him suspiciously. "How could you have checked, Miroku? You don't have a key."

He hesitantly reached into his pocket and pulled out his own set. Sango gaped at him. "Miroku, you didn't…"

Miroku smirked. "I just borrowed Inuyasha's keys when he wasn't paying attention and had a set of my own made."

"If Inuyasha finds out…"

"He _would_ have if he were in his office, but he's not. I really wonder where he went."

Sango snorted and started chugging her drink. "That's none of your business, and Inuyasha will let you know that later on."

Miroku stared at her guiltily. "Sango, you're not going to tell on me, are you?"

She sighed. "I should, it would serve you right for making the copy set in the first place. I could go looking for him right now and interrupt him so that he's angry enough at you to actually hurt you."

"Ouch, so merciless, Sango." He muttered with sarcasm.

"Always a pleasure, Miroku." She paid the tab and stood when she noticed Kouga conspicuously walking in. "Ah, so there's the demon."

Miroku turned his attention to him as well. "I wonder where he's been."

"Don't know. Ever since Kagome was claimed verbally by Inuyasha, he's been sneaky. It's starting to make me wonder…" _That's something else we need to talk to Inuyasha about._

Miroku stared at Sango. "Shouldn't we confront him about it?"

"I would, but I think that we should talk to Inuyasha first. I don't like the way he's been sneaking around, Miroku. He's up to something."

"Well, right now Inuyasha won't care about anything other than making sure Kagome is alright." They continued to watch Kouga disappear within the crowd of gang members to join in on the fun.

Miroku grabbed Sango around the waist and leaned on her. "I can tell you're still worried about Kagome-chan, Sango."

"Of course, Miroku, why wouldn't I be? She's one of my best friends." The bartender put another drink on the bar and Sango grabbed it to chug it, only to have it gently taken from her and sat on the bar. Miroku stared at her with a half concerned gaze. "Now, now, Sango, drinking is not the answer."

She glared at him and sighed, but never stopped her stern expression. "Why do you always do that to me, every single time you see me have more than one drink, you cut me off."

"Do you not remember the incident with Kagome? Inuyasha's right, that shouldn't have happened, so I'm not taking any chances with you, either."

"Kagome also overdosed, Miroku. I'm not going to do something like that. Now give me back my beer."

He snorted. "You could be capable of anything when you're drunk, Sango. No beer."

She basically growled at him. "You're about to get it, give me back my drink!"

He shook his head and watched as Sango prepared to hit him, hard. He gripped her wrist before she could hit him and slammed his lips against hers. Even though they were a couple, that shocked Sango out of any thoughts of hurting him for the time being. She barely even got to kiss him back before he pulled away and grinned at her. "I knew that would work."

She glared at him. "Hentai."

"You liked it, Sango, or else you would have hit me like every other time I was being a Hentai."

She made a sound like she couldn't think of something to say and stormed off with her chains clinking urgently behind her. "I can't believe this!" She shouted with her hands in the air, enough to make the club halt and stare cautiously at her. No one would think of going near her when she was angry, as she tended to take her anger out on the rest of the club.

Attention was turned to Miroku, who seemed overly satisfied with himself. He seemed to suddenly notice the club was staring at him and he waved them off. "Nothing to see, here, go back to whatever you were doing." He muttered. The club reluctantly listened, but not without their smirks and words of "Oh, he's going to get it later."

That's when Shippo decided to join him on the bar stools. "What's up, Miroku?"

"The usual, trying to understand my violent angel." He grinned and stared at Shippo. "So what's going on with you?"

"Well, this may sound strange, but I caught the whiff of that 'Kikyo' woman when Kouga walked in."

Miroku's gaze turned serious. "You don't say…go on."

"It wasn't exactly on him, just like he had been around her. And if that's the case, then I think Kouga is on his way to betraying Inuyasha just like she did."

"If he is talking to Kikyo, he already has betrayed the gang." He put his hand on his chin and thought about it. "I had better tell this to Sango."

"Uh…do you think that is such a good idea?"

He stared at Shippo carefully. "If we don't tell her, she'll probably kill us later. Inuyasha, too."

"I'm just saying that another betrayal might make Inuyasha so mad, he'll kill the messenger."  
"No, Kagome would never let him hurt one of us, Shippo." Miroku then got off his stool and prepared to seek out Sango. "Just do me a favor and keep your eye on both Kouga and the surveillance. If you catch another whiff of her or Fluffy, let us know."

"Ok." Then he got up to go back to his station as Miroku decided to go find Sango. "This cannot be a good thing…"

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kagome woke to a more intense throbbing in her stomach, as if a feeling was making it worse. _Something's not right…_She looked up at Inuyasha, and the second she did his eyes opened to stare at her. He ran his hand through her bangs and tried to decide whether the feeling that was radiating from her was her pain, or something else. "Are you alright?" He asked quietly. It was almost as if she had an aura about her, but she was just a human and it was impossible for them to have one unless they had super abilities, like a certain psycho bitch he knew.

She sighed and rested her forehead on his chest. "I just have a bad feeling, that's all."

His ears flipped back against his hair. "What kind of a feeling?" He rubbed her shoulder and back carefully. That feeling she gave him made him slightly nervous. Luckily for her, she couldn't quite pick up on feelings like he could. Not yet, anyway.

"I can't tell, not with this stupid wound on my stomach." She shifted uncomfortably against him and clenched her eyes shut.

Inuyasha couldn't help his curiosity. _How could she get a feeling? She's human!_ "Uh, Kagome? You can get feelings?"

She stiffened. "Oh, umm…" She was now officially nervous. What would she tell him? "Call it a hunch, that's all."

"Kagome, you're lying." He stated quietly, and he could see her clench her fists because she was caught.

"I am not." She stated quietly.

"Then why did you stutter, and hesitate? And why did you call it a feeling if it isn't?"

She sighed. "I can't tell you." She had her cheek on his chest so that she wouldn't look at him. She hated lying to him, and knowing that he probably wouldn't stop until he got the answers just made her a little scared.

He gripped her tightly and adjusted their position so that they now sat up against the back of his leather couch with her straddling him. He moved her back slightly so that she could look at him, and she did so with guilty eyes. "Come on, Kagome, its not like I'm going to tell anyone if you have a secret. Who would I go blabbing to?"

She shrugged. "It's just something that nobody ever knew about, for safety reasons."

He stared at her. "Are you a Miko?" His response was a slight nod, and she looked down and away from him.

He focused his energy to find her aura and took note that it was there, but very slight. "Then why am I just now sensing your aura?"

"Because I have spent all my life hiding it, you're only sensing it because of my weaker state. I'm holding back as much as I can, even when I sleep. I didn't want people to know."

"You don't have to keep secrets from me, Kagome."

She shrugged and looked at him like she was tired. "It's just that all my life I have hidden it. Do you know what people would do if they knew I was a Miko? They'd treat me like a witch and kill me. Even my father didn't know."

"So then when did you find out you were one?"

"Well, I guess I had brought my power out when I was threatened. When I was little, I was just outside the school grounds when a couple of bullies attempted to catch and beat me up. I felt frightened and backed into a corner, and suddenly a burst with purple energy from my hands had ended up killing the boys. I ran home from school that day with burnt hands and attempted to find out exactly what had happened. Through research, I found I was a Miko. But I had also noted that people feared us and would kill us on sight. So, I never told anyone."

He sighed. "Yea, well Kikyo is Miko and the cops are too chicken-shit to do anything about it."

Kagome cocked an eyebrow at him. "But she's also insane."

"Keh, why do you think she's not in my club anymore? Someone who's stupid enough to betray me is usually insane. I usually kill people like that."  
"Then why isn't she dead?"

"Because she's a Miko, and at the time I didn't want my stupid brother to be seeking me for his stupid promise he's held to her." He ran his claws through her hair and combed it. He looked down to observe her wound and she looked down with him. "It's getting better…" She said amazed. 

With her own abilities, the wound would have healed with an incredible speed, but with the bond that Inuyasha had forged with her, it was already almost covered in a scar tissue. That made her eyebrows furrow. "Is this going to scar?"

"Nope. When it's completely healed you won't be able to tell that you had a wound."

She put her hands on his shoulders for more support as she stared at it. "How long have we been laying here?"

His ears twitched when she said something and his gaze instantly went back to her. "About fifteen hours."

She widened her eyes in disbelief. "Fifteen hours? I have been asleep for fifteen hours!"

Inuyasha sighed. "Well you ARE injured, sweetie."  
"Don't call me sweetie." She said quietly. "I have never slept for more than nine hours in my entire life. I just wasted a day of my life sleeping."

"Well what would you have been doing? You wouldn't have been able to go anywhere. It goes faster if you sleep."

She smirked at him. "And what were you doing for fifteen hours? I know you weren't sleeping, you never sleep."

He paused. "I was watching you sleep."

She looked down at his stomach and sighed, dropping the subject. "Am I getting blood all over your couch?"

He gazed down at his stomach and then shrugged. "A little blood ain't gonna hurt nothing. I can replace furniture, I can't replace you."

Kagome smiled at him. "That's sweet, Inuyasha."

He shrugged again and brought her closer to him. "Yea, well, you had scared me when you got stabbed. Promise me that'll never happen again."

She leaned into him and hugged him tightly. "I don't think you would let that happen, Inuyasha."

"You're right, I won't." His hand went to the base of her head and held her against his chest as he started to lightly kiss her neck and shoulders. She giggled slightly and held onto him tighter, forcing one of her eyes open.

She reached up and ruffled his hair as she gently started rubbing his ears. He began to slowly purr in her ear and brushed his lips against her cheek before kissing her deeply. He had to remind himself constantly to be careful because of her injuries, but at the moment it was as if she had forgotten she even had an injury. As long as he didn't dare take it too far, they were probably both fine where they were.

Suddenly, his cell phone rang, and he growled softly before pulling away to reach it on the back of the couch. Kagome just hugged him tightly and closed her eyes as if to go back to sleep, but she listened to him answer. "What?"

"Greetings brother. How fares it in the club of dimwits?"

Inuyasha growled loudly and clutched Kagome tighter. "What the hell do you want?"

"Intolerable, I send you a greeting and you bite my head off. Completely rude, Inuyasha."

"You have a purpose for calling, do you not? Well spit it out!" He bit out angrily. Kagome was rubbing his shoulders slightly with a concerned look on her face, and he had to admit that it made him feel better and a little less murderous.

"Hai, very well then. How is the Higurashi girl?"

"None of your damn business, I should hunt you down for doing what you did to her."

Sesshomaru tsked on the other end. "You know very well you couldn't do that without bringing her along, and if you bring or leave her it will certainly seal her demise. It appears as though the little wench shouldn't leave your sight, as she is a weakling human who's too intellectual for her own good."

"What the hell do you want!" He repeated. Just the thought of his brother made him angry.

"I sense a bond has been made between the two of you, hence her new immunity to my poison and her healing powers. I called to check and see if my hunches were correct, and if so, you have put that woman in a whole new level of danger."

Inuyasha growled deeply and rested his head against hers. "I don't know what you're talking about, and that is none of your business. If that is all, then I'm done speaking to you."

"I'm afraid you don't understand, Inuyasha. You know very well that Kagome is not the only girl whom wanted your affections. Both women may be Mikos, but…"

"How did you know that?"

"Very simple, I am a full demon, and once I injured her she let a tiny bit of herself be revealed. A half demon like yourself wouldn't have detected it if you weren't looking. Now, as I was saying, Kikyo is the stronger Miko and she wants revenge for all that woman has done to her. If she is now bonded to you, that has just iced her cake, as you would put it."

Inuyasha was starting to not like this very much. Kikyo and Fluffy dearest were both very bad news, and receiving threats from them never ended well. "What do you mean?" He asked carefully.

"It is quite simple, Kikyo will put a dream curse on Kagome and you will be powerless to stop it. The only way the curse can be removed is if Kikyo is killed, and if she is harmed in any way I'll be seeing you in hell, Inuyasha. That is, only if the bond is true. Tell me now, brother, as I can smell a lie over the phone."

Inuyasha snorted and closed his phone, effectively ending the conversation. It was none of his brother's business what he does with other people! Although a string of fear remained for the dream curse that Kikyo could unleash unto Kagome.

Dream curses were very terrible things. The person giving them would know when person two is sleeping, and when that happens then she can deposit any kind of dream she wants, if she is well, that is. Kikyo was certainly not the most stable person in the world, and she could probably pull some freaky shit that could possibly drive Kagome insane. He saw the brink of insanity on her once, and he couldn't let that happen again.

In his mind he settled it, both Kikyo and Sesshomaru had to die. They were a threat to his love, himself, and his club. If they were alive, they would cause utter havoc throughout the city and probably frame Inuyasha. And his criminal record that probably would put him in death row was really big enough already…

Kagome tugged on his hair and he turned quickly to look at her concerned face. "What's wrong, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha just furrowed his eyebrows and shook his head. "Nothing." He pushed her back again to examine her wound, and both felt extremely cold when the wound still hadn't been healed. Inuyasha guessed that he was cold because of the bond, telling him that she still wasn't healed. "This should take another day or so, so I highly suggest you go to sleep."

Kagome sighed deeply. _Fine, I guess he's not going to tell me what's wrong. Why am I not surprised?_ Surprisingly, she decided to drop it as she was not in the condition to argue some more. "Well, do you have any food?"

"Sure I do, but you can't eat."

She gaped at him. "I haven't eaten in two days, I'm a little hungry, Inuyasha."

"Hey, I'm not doing it to be mean, I'm doing it because the healing process won't work properly if you do. You can have something to drink, though."

She snorted. "I highly doubt that anywhere in that kitchen besides tap water is a drink that's nonalcoholic."

"Hmm…" he actually had to think about it for a moment, but trying to force his other thoughts back was a little harder than he had thought. "I…I don't think I do have anything besides water that I'd be willing to give you."

She shrugged and looked down. "All well, I guess I can live."

"Are you thirsty or not? If you really can't live with water then I'll have Sango bring up something else."

"I'll _live_, Inuyasha. I'm not that weak." She stretched and yawned, clutching him tightly once she realized that he could probably get a great view of her chest.

He smirked when he realized that she was hiding herself again and continued the comforting process of combing through her hair. He adjusted his position on the couch to lying down again and made sure that she was effectively stable to stay put in the case that he had to remove his hands from holding her. He didn't want her to budge once the process started working again.

Somehow, his mind went right back to the hole that Sesshomaru had dug for him. It felt so right to be holding Kagome, especially like this. And his bastard brother was attempting to take that all away from him! It was obvious that he wanted something to happen to Inuyasha, but Inuyasha had been tormented all his life with the sudden death of his mother that he could have prevented _had_ he been paying more attention. He couldn't even catch the man who killed her. He never forgave himself for it.

But instead of ending his life, he chose to take it out on the world and become what he is today. He had promised himself that he would never feel for another person in his life for fear that they would be lost to him. He never wanted that hopeless feeling back.

Yet, his new lifestyle brought him to love Kagome, and the fact that if he hadn't been a gangster in the first place he would have never gotten her, it just made him relieved that all of that had happened. After he had quit denying what she did to him, he was able to bring himself to his senses and care about someone instead of shutting everyone out. Kikyo, even though she claimed it, had never been in his view of interest. She merely disgusted him and angered him deeply when she had betrayed him.

Kagome kept her eyes open as she played with the muscles of his right arm. _So toned, he is…and caring. I'm lucky all this had happened to me._ She sighed. Even though her father had died, she felt like it all came together to mean that she belonged right here in this gang, and in Inuyasha's arms.

But she had to admit, something about his death didn't ring right…it didn't sound like her father to just cowardly take his own life. She found herself drifting back to the horrible memories of the death of her kin. She started remembering the way he was killed without any guilt as she grew determined for some answers.

The police claimed his slit his own throat and dropped to the ground. When she reviewed the memories of the photographs shown, it gave her exclusive proof. Something that she now burned in fury with that the police had failed to notice it.

The slice was jagged, indicating that not only was it not done with a knife, but it wasn't done with any type of metal at all. Her years at a law school showed her that. This showed that he couldn't have killed himself because the weapon was inadequate and an obvious overlook of the forensic pathologists. The knife they showed on the screen that had been the 'tool' he used to kill himself didn't even have a jagged blade! It even gave exclusive proof of who did it! Focusing her memory more, there were initials carved into the bottom of the knife, and she gasped with a cold string of realization, causing her to clutch Inuyasha in both fear and anger.

Sesshomaru had murdered her father.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(A/N-Sorry for the short chapter, but I had to end it here. So suspenseful! hehe…)

(Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it, as it is now four in the morning and I am going to sleep! Thank you, KawaiiMissi! Loved your review!)


	9. Temporary Insanity?

Disclaimer-Inuyasha is not owned by me, and lets face it, if he were, I wouldn't be writing FAN fiction!

Thanks again! All of you are so wonderful!

Chapter 9-Temporary insanity?

Miroku and Shippo were now holding tightly onto Sango, whom after hearing that Kouga was interacting with Kikyo, had wanted to kill him before Inuyasha got a hold of him. If there was one thing in this world that she could not stand, it was betrayal, and after Kikyo had long pulled the shit out of her sleeve, Inuyasha had failed to kill her and Sango was very willing to. However, the entire city knew that Kikyo was a Miko and could probably blow the place to smithereens, just by thinking of it.

She still pulled while Miroku held her in a full nelson. Shippo was retrieving restraints if it were needed. "Let me go, damn it! I'll rip him limb from limb!"

Miroku was really struggling to hold her. Sango was not a person to mess with. "Sango, please! Calm down! We can't let him know we know just yet!"

She became deathly calm all of a sudden, and Miroku couldn't help but tense up. "Sango?"

"Miroku…honey…" She chided before bringing up her knee and smashing her foot into his testicles. He couldn't help but let her go to hold himself and fall to his knees while making an interesting squeaking noise. "Sango…that was harsh." He managed to squeak.

She crossed her arms and glared at him. "Don't ever get in my way again." She rubbed her temples to rid herself of the guilt she had just obtained. "I'm sorry, Miroku, I really am. I should have hit your face instead."

He was biting his lip and holding his breath. "Anything would have been better than the balls."

Shippo came back scratching his head, sending an apologetic look to Miroku. "Looks like I'm too late."

Sango sighed and picked up her cell phone. "Inuyasha has to know."

Miroku grabbed her ankle and squeezed, as he was still trying to recover. 'Damn can that woman kick!' "Sango, you mustn't tell him yet, I beg you."

Sango gaped at him. "You're suggesting I keep it a secret from him? He'll kill us!"

"Wait until Kagome-chan is better! If he is in the same position they were in as in the limo, then hearing this news of betrayal may anger him enough to leave Kagome to come and kill him. I have studied this sort of thing, Sango! Inuyasha has to be with Kagome at all times for it to work properly. If not, she could catch shock and die from the cold chills that he would leave with her."

Sango stared at him and slowly put her cell phone away. "Alright, Hentai, then what are we supposed to do?"

He finally managed to work himself back to a standing position. "We must keep an eye on Kouga and the security to make sure that nothing happens while Inuyasha is healing Kagome-chan. Until Inuyasha comes out of that room or informs us that she is better, we cannot anger him in any way."

Sango sighed and gave him pleading eyes. "If that man tries something, you had better stay out of my way."

He nodded once as acceptance. "Very well, Sango, although I doubt he's going to do something right now in the middle of the club. The men don't all care for him much anyway."

"That doesn't mean he's not going to try something. He's not the brightest demon in the world."

"Which is another reason why we must stay away from him. Sango, he's a demon, and yes I'm aware that you've kicked his ass before, but he will most definitely harm you if you dare to stop him this time. Inuyasha has to be the one to handle him."

Sango shivered absently and stared at Miroku. "Just promise me something…"  
"What's that?"

"That this time, the entire club won't go through hell like they did with Kikyo. That this time, Kouga is going to get his ass out and never return to haunt the club again."

Miroku sighed, contemplating. "I can't make those kind of promises, as I would be lying to you. We both know that Fluffy dearest is planning something, it's just a matter of time before he shows us what that is."

Sango looked down and nodded before turning on heel to go back into the club. She may be worried, but she was the third in command now, and while the first and second were busy she had to watch over the club. The faithful part, anyway, as she couldn't care what happened to Kouga at the moment.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Inuyasha was holding Kagome when suddenly she paled. Not just her face, no, her entire body went up a few hues of color and she sat whiter than a ghost. He noticed that her heart had quickened, and realized that her nails were now digging into his sides. He gripped her chin and forced her to look up at him with her angry eyes. "What is it, what's wrong?"

She closed her eyes and inhaled carefully. "Inuyasha, I need your brother's phone number."

"What?" He was shocked. Why the hell did she need to talk to him? "Why are you wanting to call him?"

"TO GIVE HIM THE BIGGEST PIECE OF MY MIND WITHOUT ACTUALLY KILLING HIM!" She screamed and tried to sit up, but Inuyasha was quick and forced them both into a sitting position, actually pinning her carefully back against the couch. 

"What the hell is wrong?" He said carefully with worry plastered all over his face.

She let a tear fall down her cheek. "Daddy didn't kill himself…he was murdered by your brother!" She reached up for the phone that he had sitting on the back of the couch, but he snatched it up and held it away before she realized it.

He was panting lightly. "How do you know that? The news said he killed himself."

"Yea, well the news was wrong! I went through the photos in my head and it's so obvious! I solved the damn mystery without even holding the evidence for myself, and the police did nothing more than follow the letter!" She struggled slightly to get the phone back, but he wouldn't let her. He wanted to be certain that what she said was true, and if it was then Fluffy dearest was about to have a major problem on his hands. Nobody kills Kagome's father and gets away with it…no, he let one murderer get away and he wouldn't let this one.

"Kagome, tell me exactly how you figure…"  
She was certainly ready to tell her findings to someone. "First of all, the cut is across his neck and so deep that dad couldn't have done it himself. Second, the wound is jagged, indicating that it wasn't done with any type of metal, then there's the knife that has a smooth blade with no jagged edges, and then of course, there's Fluffy's initials on the bottom of it! He did it, Inuyasha, he killed my father and the police were so blinded by the letter that they didn't pay attention to anything else!" She was now shaking and more tears fell down her cheeks. How dare someone kill her father!

Inuyasha was enraged. What she said made perfect sense and he didn't doubt for a minute that Sesshomaru was behind it all. He was sly scum that would pay dearly for all the harm and damage he caused Inuyasha and the ones he cared about.

Making sure to place his knees firmly around her hips so she couldn't move, he used the other hand to press her against the couch as he slowly dialed Sango's number. After a minute, she answered, a little out of breath. "Yea?"

"Sango, it's Inuyasha." He said calmly.

"Inuyasha, hello, what can I do for you?" She tried to sound innocent like she didn't have anything to hide, but it was failing.

"I need you to go and tell Miroku to come up to my office and the both of you come in. I know he has keys, I heard him in there earlier. I want you there in five minutes. Got it?" 

Sango nodded. "Of course, Inuyasha." He sounded so deadly serious and it bothered her. Something wasn't right…maybe he knew about Kouga? No, that would have left him yelling and screaming, and possibly ripping apart anything and everything in his path.

"I mean it, Sango, be up there and be quick about it." Then he hung up and stood, pointing carefully at Kagome. "_Don't_ you move." Then he walked into the bathroom, leaving her angry form on the couch.

_Why did Sesshomaru kill something so valuable to me? What did I ever do to him? Ok, stupid question, he hated the fact that I existed…but still, he had no right to do that!_ She crossed her arms tightly and completely ignored the dull pain in her stomach to glare at the wall as if he was on the other side. _Mark my words, I will avenge my father!_

Inuyasha came out quickly with a large roll of bandages and sat right next to Kagome as she glared at the wall. He had to force her to move her hands out of the way so he could bandage her wound and chest (the chest more or less so that he didn't have to force her to put a shirt on). She wasn't quite helpful as she glared angrily ahead of her, but he wouldn't yell at her for it. He himself felt like doing the same thing, or ripping Sesshomaru's throat out.

The meeting would be important, and as the second in command and the main witness here, Kagome was going to have to be present. She was a very intelligent person, and he knew that from now on she needed to be part of the meetings and part of the group decisions. He realized some time ago that her intelligence would be very good for the gang.

He pulled on her shoulder and instructed her to hold her arms out to the side. She did as she was told and seemed very calm as he began wrapping the cloth around her chest, a good layer or two so that no one would see anything. She didn't seem to mind that in a sense he was actually touching her, in fact, she almost seemed to feel completely comfortable with it. That gave Inuyasha reason to be relieved as he quickly finished his work.

When he was finished, it appeared as though she was in a white tube top. He forced her to look directly at him with his finger hooked under her chin. "You have to be calm, Kagome. If you move around too much you could reopen the wound and start bleeding again."

She nodded slightly and crossed her arms over her chest. He draped the blanket over her shoulders and kissed her forehead before standing and putting his shirt back on. Then he walked over to his door and punched in the code to open it. Kagome noticed that he had to have a code both inside and out, meaning that if she didn't know it she wasn't going anywhere. That's probably how Inuyasha liked it, too.

The door opened into his office, where she could see the surprised looks of Sango and Miroku as they gazed at the trap door. "Wow…" they both said at the same time. They obviously had never known about this apartment before.

He glared at them and waved his hand into his apartment. "Come on, move it." Sango and Miroku obediently obeyed and ventured into the complex. It took them a minute of looking around as much as Inuyasha would let them before he showed them to the chairs beside the couch. Both took one and continued to gaze about the apartment until Inuyasha came into the room with a bottle of beer for each of them. He and Kagome each had a bottle of water, as he knew it wouldn't be fair if she was the only one not to drink alcohol. He needed something that was actually good for him, anyway.

Inuyasha crossed his arm tightly and leaned against the couch. "Alright, let's begin. It's become rather clear that Fluffy has been pulling some bad shit, and we have to discuss it thoroughly to find how to deal with it."

Miroku sighed. "Well, that's not the only problem. Since we are having this meeting, we need to discuss everything that we have discovered."

Inuyasha sighed. "Well what have you discovered?"

Sango crossed her arms tightly. "It seems that Kouga is sneaking off to discussions with Kikyo. Shippo informed Miroku when he snuck in earlier that he reeked of Kikyo, and that means that he is betraying us."

Inuyasha growled deeply while staring at the floor. _I thought that bastard was up to something…_He wanted to run out there right then and begin to strangle the wolf demon as hard as he possibly could, but something held him back. He noticed Kagome's hand was placed on his knee, sending waves of calmness through him. She stared at him with a determined face, her touch alone was calming him briefly.

Kagome stared at both Miroku and Sango. "So where is he? If he is a betrayer then he shouldn't be anywhere in this club."

Miroku nodded. "Point taken, but he is a demon, and even though on several occasions he has been whipped by a human, if he is found out his senses will drive him to do more harm to the person trying to get to him."

Sango sighed. "In other words, Inuyasha is the only one who can deal with him. You…" She pointed at Kagome. "…I highly suggest, shouldn't be anywhere near him, as he still has been claiming you verbally around the club. He might try to pull a last minute stunt."

Inuyasha snorted. "She's in no position to go anywhere, anyway. I'll take care of that bastard."

Kagome looked at him carefully. "Inuyasha, you have to be careful with that. If he is seeing Kikyo, then he's part of Fluffy's gang, too. That could mean that he has a bargain made with him if he is killed, too."

The 'boss' growled and crossed his arms, leaning against the back of the couch. "If he's posing a threat to members of my gang then I'll have no choice. I'll leave no room for argument. Especially if the matter concerns you."

She snorted. "What about the other matter? It has EVERYTHING to do with me!"

"What other matter?" Miroku asked clueless.

Inuyasha stared at Sango and pointed at her. "This is going to enrage you beyond belief, as it did both Kagome and I, so stay at your seat." When Sango cautiously nodded, Inuyasha continued. "We have found out that there is exclusive proof that Sesshomaru killed Kagome's father, and that he did not kill himself."

Sango gaped. "You're kidding! That bastard!"

Miroku put his hand firmly down on her shoulder to keep her in the seat. His face grew very serious and concerned. "Do you know this for certain?"

Kagome nodded and put her hand on her stomach. "Without a doubt. We went over the evidence and everything that the police had stated just didn't match up. The wound on his neck suggested that he had been slashed with something that wasn't metal because it was jagged, the knife left at the scene wasn't even jagged, and Fluffy's initials are on the handle. He did it, trust me."

Sango stared at her friend, amazed that she could be so calm after hearing something like that. It appeared that their Kagome-chan was scheming, but she wasn't about to let paranoia give her odd feelings. "So what can we do about it?"

Inuyasha sighed. "WE aren't going to do anything. I will handle Kikyo, Kouga, and Fluffy."

Kagome mentally slapped him. "You are not putting this burden on your shoulders alone, Inuyasha. I am going to be part of it every step of the way, whether you like it or not."

He stared at her. "You are injured, you can do nothing until you are healed, got that?"  
"It won't take me but another day to be healed completely Inuyasha. You're not doing this alone, I mean it. I won't let you."

He just stared at her, and the four sat in a very uncomfortable silence for the moments passing. They all knew what had to be done. A lot of the people involved with Fluffy would either die or be completely frightened beyond belief. Inuyasha just didn't know anymore which made him feel better, as long as the people would pay for what they did to his Kagome.

Miroku tapped his knee impatiently. "So…how's the weather?"

All three of the others glared at him and screamed "Miroku!" at the same time. He shrugged. "Sorry, I just couldn't stand the silence."

Kagome forced herself to stand and started walking into the hallway with Inuyasha babbling like an idiot. "Where in the seven hells do you think you're going?! I told you to stay put so that you don't reopen your wounds!"  
She stopped for a second and stared down at the floor. "A wound has already been reopened, Inuyasha. I'm not worried about a little blood loss." Then she continued carefully into his bathroom so that she could splash water on her face.

While Inuyasha and the others decided to engage in conversation instead of worrying over Kagome's problems, the cell phone that was still attached to her belt rang. Inuyasha's ears picked it up, and he shushed the others while Kagome answered it. 

"Hello?" She said quietly.

The small laughing of Kikyo was heard on the other end. Kagome fumed and clenched her fists tightly. "YOU FUCKING BITCH! Show yourself to me in person!"

Suddenly, she started whispering on the other end, and Kagome couldn't pick up the words. She felt tired, sleep suddenly starting to lull her. She wasn't stupid, however, she knew that Kikyo was placing a spell on her and as another Miko she started to fight it. "No…I won't…let…you!"

"Sleep, my little Miko, and dream the worst dreams you could have thought imaginable. Until our next meeting." She continued to whisper and Kagome dropped to her knees.

"Go…to…hell! I'll kill you and your boss!" She screamed until she felt her aura suddenly being pulled from her, weakening her. In her stronger form, she could fight it, but as weak as she was at the moment (Both physically and emotionally), Kikyo was able to drain away her Miko shield to continue with the spell. 

Inuyasha, followed by Miroku and Sango, appeared at the bathroom's doorway. He was just in time to catch her as she seemed to pass out, and his ears could pick up the laugh of Kikyo while Kagome still held the phone. "Say good night, Miko. Sayonara, Inuyasha." Then she hung up.

Inuyasha was shocked beyond belief. He knew it, Kikyo put a strong spell on Kagome and forced her to sleep so she could see the dream to its fullest effects. They had to wake her, and they had to do it quickly.

"Miroku, I know you've read up on stuff like this, so help me out here."

Miroku bent down over Kagome and ran a hand over her slightly decreasing aura. "She has had her aura drained, Inuyasha. Kikyo took that protective shield off while she was in her weakened state and used it to control her mind into sleeping. If we don't wake her soon, she'll possible go insane with fear."

Inuyasha was dumbfounded before he cursed. _How the hell did Miroku know she was a Miko in the first place?_ Sango looked questionably at Miroku. "I know this is stupid of me, Miroku, but how can you sense auras?"

He never looked up from trying to coax Kagome out of her sleeping state. "My ancestors were monks and they have passed their traits on throughout the generations." He stated. "A dream spell as powerful as this can only be broken by her, Inuyasha, so if you don't mind I'd like to try something."

Inuyasha glared at the monk, cautious. "What are you going to do?"

"I shall attempt to wake her by entering her self conscious. Spiritually, of course. If I can coax out more of her power then she could force the offending spell out of herself. It is slightly painful, but only for an instant. And since she is already sleeping, it shouldn't have that much affect on her physical body. This will give me a perfect opportunity to reflect upon what my ancestors taught me."

Inuyasha sighed. Kagome would feel pain, but only for a moment. Where as if this spell drives her insane… "Alright, do it, but don't you dare hurt Kagome."

Miroku gripped her shoulders and put her head into his lap. Inuyasha was very wary, but positive that Miroku wasn't stupid enough to be a lecher in the situation they were in. No, even he had his limits, and for the most part Sango had broken him of any lechery, except towards her. She was still working on that.

He closed his eyes as his hands grabbed the sides of her head. Miroku seemed to really struggle for a minute before he blacked out and spiritually entered Kagome's mind.

Sango was shocked, she suddenly felt like she hadn't known Miroku at all. One minute, he seemed to be insulted by being called a modern day monk, the next it was clear because he was an _old_ fashioned monk performing some sort of sorcery on her best friend. She suddenly felt weird, as she may have been one of the scariest people there, but she was the only one who couldn't sense an aura or who had a special super ability beyond the human race. For once, she actually wondered what it was like not being human.

There was pure darkness, almost nothing visible. This had indicated to him that she was definitely asleep, for when you were awake your mind was filled with thoughts and fantasies. Shortly in the distance was a bright pink spiritual looking ball, and one that was circling it with a greenish color. Miroku had remembered that the one not moving was Kagome's dream, and probably the green light was the offending problem.

Her ball was bright and large, giving off a power all its own. Kagome didn't have to say anything for him to know what she was. He knew it when Fluffy had stabbed her with his claws, but he knew for a fact that it was a well kept secret and decided not to blab his huge mouth to anyone who would listen. She would probably tell everyone in her own time as it was.

For a Miko, even in her sleep, her mind seemed very empty. It disturbed him and told him that Kikyo may have drained her of more than just her aura. She may have been drained of some of her memories so that the new horrors of Kikyo's dreams could occupy them. He was here to wake her up and prevent that from happening.

He approached the pink ball and reached out to touch it, suddenly being dragged into her dream. He discovered that Kikyo was very creative, and highly sadistic. It took place in a rain storm right outside the club, and Kikyo sat perched near by, watching carefully. 

Kagome was tied with both hands hanging against the wall of the club and her feet tied apart while being hung by the heavy bricks on the ground. She was screaming in pain as Inuyasha, Sango, and a picture image of himself were laughing and torturing her. He suddenly saw the purpose of this dream; to show her that she wasn't loved and to make it all seem like she had lost the last ones she cared about. It wasn't something that Miroku wanted to plague her memories.

He knew that the bad thing about dream curses mainly was that everything that happens in the dream is felt in real life. She would be feeling pains from her wrists and legs, and possibly every punch that Inuyasha, Sango and himself were hitting to her. The ironic thing was, sometimes when the victim awoke, they even had bruises where they were tortured. Hell sometimes, the person even died of shock.

But Kagome's soul and powers were strong enough that Miroku believed he could bring her out of it, or at least convince her not to believe a shred of it. She should be fully aware of everything in the dream, so seeing two Miroku's will more than likely bring her out of it. She had known that Kikyo was placing the spell on her seconds before she was dragged into it, too, so that might have been another factor.

Miroku ran forward and stopped a few feet away from the crowd, putting his hands around his mouth. "Kagome!"

She glanced up with a black eye and a confused face as she noticed two Miroku's. "What…" Inuyasha delivered another punch to her stomach and quieted her without seeming to notice Miroku. "Shove it, bitch! Don't speak!"

Kikyo noticed the second Miroku and stood with an angry glare on his face. She snapped her fingers and all of her 'characters' froze in the spot to where it was just her, Miroku and Kagome moving. "So, Monk, you think you can outwit me?"

Kagome looked confused from one person to another and then turned enraged. "Kikyo, you twisted psycho bitch!"

Kikyo could only laugh at the struggling woman. "Indeed I am twisted. I am proud of what I have done to you, as perfect revenge for beating my face and taking Inuyasha into your clutches. I am glad that I discovered you were a Miko of little strength, but sadly for me I had waited a little too long to notice."

Kagome shifted against her ropes. "So is that why you didn't pound me with power when we met?"

"Hmm…I must admit that you had puzzled me slightly, and until I had discovered how much strength you truly had I wasn't about to attack you. But now I know, and since I have this spell on you I will slowly but surely drive you insane."

Miroku looked at Kagome carefully. "Kagome! Whatever you dream is NOT REAL! Even if you feel it, it's not really happening! Never believe any of it!"

Kagome nodded and struggled some more. "Thanks Miroku."

Kikyo pointed at him. "You will not ruin this for me. I'll have them beat her to death, and she'll really die mind you." Then she seemed to zap Miroku with the tips of her fingers, casting him out of her dreams and back into himself.

He seemed to jump and suddenly grabbed his head as it flew back against the counter. Sango was right beside him shaking him slightly while Inuyasha grabbed Kagome back. "Miroku, what happened? Are you alright?"

He held his head tightly to attempt to stop the throbbing. Turned out _he_ was the one in pain and she wasn't. "It seems that Kikyo was projecting quite the horrible dream into her head. It is something that Kagome would truly be scared of if it actually happened. But I was able to make her see that it was a dream, and Kikyo showed up in the flesh to cast me out of the dream."

Inuyasha cradled Kagome against his chest and stared at Miroku. "What was she dreaming about? Dare I call you monk now without getting cursed?"

Miroku snorted, acting like he had the side effects of a long night partying. "Honestly, Inuyasha, I may have saved Kagome-chan's very life. Must you be so blunt?"

"She's not awake, and I want her awake and well." He shook her slightly and they all witnessed as her face contorted with the pains she was 'receiving'. Miroku cursed to himself. He hoped that Kikyo wasn't actually going to kill Kagome with attacks from her 'friends'. He didn't want something that horrible to be the last thing she ever sees.

"I mean it, Miroku, what was she dreaming about?"

Miroku sighed deeply, still pressing his head tightly. "I don't think I have the right to talk about something in Kagome's mind. If she feels at liberty to reveal that to you when she wakes, then she'll tell you and it'll become your business."

Sango gripped his shoulder tightly. "But Miroku, knowing could help us wake her, couldn't it?"

"No, Kagome-chan has to fight on her own now. Believe me, if she fought back with her strength then she could easily escape the hold." Miroku then stood and stormed into Inuyasha's kitchen. "I'm going to see what sort of ice Inuyasha may keep in his freezer, I'll be back in a moment."

Inuyasha sighed deeply. "Damn that bastard Sesshomaru, if it weren't for him then none of this would have ever happened."

Sango patted his shoulder. "Let's put Kagome in your bed, Inuyasha. That way she'll at least be comfortable while she goes insane."

Inuyasha snorted and resisted the urge to strangle her. "You're not helping, damn it."

She shrugged. "I was hoping that forcing you to hit me would make you feel better."

"Well then you're lucky Kagome came along or you would have a red hand mark against your face." Sango smirked at his meaningless threat as she watched him stand. He lifted Kagome's shoulders while Sango got her legs and they walked down to the end of the hall to place her in his king sized bed. The room was dark, so that the details of it couldn't be told, but his silk sheets covered her as Inuyasha worked them up from underneath the comforter. He rubbed his eyes as he sat down beside her on the bed, watching as Sango crossed her arms and stared at him. "Well, what are we going to do now?"

Inuyasha tapped his forehead carefully. "I have only one choice, so I want you to come with me and make sure I keep myself under control, you know, no hurting the innocent people. I have to get that cocky, ignorant bastard out of my club as soon as possible."

Sango sighed. "But you'll have to be the boss, right?"

He scratched his ears. "Yea, I have to be mean and let everyone know I'm pissed. How else do you expect me to keep this club under order?"

She glanced at Kagome and sighed again. "It seems the only demon that you can trust now is Shippo."

Inuyasha made a small noise and glanced at her. "Now that's not true, I can trust Sesshomaru to make my life hell and I trust that bastard Kouga to regret ever thinking of crossing me." He stood and grabbed his coat. "We shall leave Miroku to watch over Kagome. He'd be useless anyway with his 'headache' problem." Inuyasha had a strange feeling, so he bent over and kissed Kagome's forehead carefully. _I don't know what else to do but to trust that monk. Be all right, Kagome, and wake up soon._

He and Sango walked out of the room as he finished putting on his weapons. He was getting angrier and angrier the more he moved away from Kagome. "Miroku! Watch Kagome, we'll be back." Then they were out of the room in hot pursuit of the Youkai. He would be busted beyond belief before the night was out.

Miroku had managed to get an ice pack after just barely hearing his order. "Yea, sure, no problem." He walked over to the room to glance at Kagome before his cell phone rang, and he left the room as if forgetting that he was _supposed_ to wake her as he walked into the bathroom.

That's when Kagome broke free of her spell. After verbally arguing with Kikyo for a while, she managed to only get some more smacks in the face by the 'Inuyasha' of the dream. She felt completely out of it, her head still aching hard. She wasn't thinking straight.

"Damn that bitch to hell!" She was confused. All she wanted to do was get out of the bed and kill Kikyo for what she had done to her! She was attempting to drive her insane, and until Miroku had shown up in her dreams, she had nearly fallen there. 

She just couldn't stand it anymore! She didn't plan on doing nothing until her wound healed, and she sure as hell wasn't going to wait around for Inuyasha to take care of her! No, something had to be done, and soon. Kagome wanted to see to that personally.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~~*

Inuyasha had stormed down the stairs with Sango following, slamming everything as hard as possible to get the attention of the club. When people got in his way, he would brutally shove them aside, screaming "Get the hell out of my way!" Or "Move it!" It was anything to be as rude as possible.

Kouga was instantly on attention as the crowd parted for Inuyasha to come through. He stopped throwing darts to stare at Inuyasha as he stood at the edge of the crowd, clenching his fists. "You wanna explain to me why the hell that Kikyo bitch's scent is all over you!"  
Kouga snorted and observed the twenty some eyes looking at him. "I was just outside, mutt, her scent could have clung to my clothes."

"Not that much scent. Care to also explain to me where the hell you've been for the past few hours?"

"Walking, why is that so hard for you to follow?"

"Because nobody goes anywhere without asking, especially not smelling like that poor excuse for a whore when they just _happen_ to venture back."

Kouga glared at him. "By what right do you have calling her a whore?" He snapped a hand on his mouth stupidly when he realized what he had said. Inuyasha's inhumane growl and the muttering throughout the rest of the club proved that mistake to be fatal.

Inuyasha clenched his fists again while preparing himself mentally for what was about to happen. Kouga was going to be booted out of his club for good, and there was nothing anyone could do to stop him.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~  


Miroku had finally decided that he had had enough of his beer for now and stood from the leather chair to check on Kagome. He hadn't heard anything out of her for ten minutes, five of those were spent in the bathroom finishing his conversation with a club member. He smirked at the stupidity of that conversation, giving directions because the member had forgotten what part of New York he was in. He had found that hilarious, but he had other matters to attend to.

He walked into the darkened room and had to squint to see if he could see her on the bed. When he wasn't entirely sure that the lump on the bed was moving, he walked over and lightly touched it. "Kagome-chan?" He asked quietly. The lump did not move as it was buried under the covers. It was obvious that she simply didn't feel his touch.

So, he gently poked the lump, only to swallow harshly. He ripped the blanket off and discovered it to be nothing more than body pillows. Kagome was no where in the room, but there were no windows in this complex, so he had no idea what to do. He had no idea when she had gotten up or when she had walked away, but he knew she hadn't been kidnapped because it was just too crafty and this place was a secret.

He urgently walked around and sighed. If he started yelling for her, Inuyasha would know he screwed up and would definitely kill him. Of course, if he didn't and never found her, Inuyasha would kill him anyway. 

Basically, he was screwed. 

The lump in his throat increased when he saw Inuyasha's doorway open with both her cell phone and coat missing from the chair they were placed on.

Kagome was injured, and Kagome was gone.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Inuyasha had Kouga down in a strangling position that he had often hoped he would be using on the wolf someday. Normally the rest of the club would have been worried, but they knew that betrayal did not go over well with Inuyasha. They had all figured that out the hard way, after other members died, or in Kikyo's case, went completely insane.

Sango suddenly heard a strange beeping sound from a watch she wore that she had never heard before. Inuyasha's ears went up to the beep too as Sango glanced at it. When she remembered that it was a watch asking for help with the silent alarm, her face was urgent as she ran away to find Shippo near the garage doors.

Inuyasha had realized that something was happening and he didn't have time to kill the wolf. He picked him up by the back of his neck, removed his cell phone and guns and anything else Inuyasha didn't feel like leaving on him, then shoved him harshly out the door. "Consider yourself lucky, damn it! Get lost and never come back!"

When Sango had arrived in the garage, she was completely stunned. Shippo was gagged and tied on a chair with wires bounding him. His gag was cloth and Sango quickly got to work removing it. After a minute, an out of breath Miroku appeared in the room, but before Sango could ask Shippo screamed. "God damn it, just stop her!"

Sango widened her eyes. "Stop who?"

Miroku glanced into the garage. "Kagome…" 

Shippo shook violently. "I don't know what the hell's wrong with her but she high tailed it on one of Inuyasha's motorcycles. She just got on and left! Right after she tied me up."

Miroku worked to untie the bounds that held him. "Don't be angry at her, Shippo, Kagome's not well…"

"She's not crazy! She tied me up and apologized the whole time for it! She told me not to tell anyone what she was doing but it's kinda hard not to when she steals something valuable to Inuyasha and puts herself in danger!"

Inuyasha glared at Miroku and Sango as he stormed into the room. "What the hell is going on?"

Miroku looked down as if preparing for a hit. "Kagome just stole one of your motorcycles and sped out of here like a high speed chase. She's gone completely crazy!"

Inuyasha growled deeply and Sango sighed. "Don't worry, Inuyasha, she may have tied up Shippo, but he still has the monitors."

Miroku nodded. "Yea, Kagome took her phone and coat with her."

Inuyasha sweat dropped and he started screaming a little desperately for his liking. _Does she even know how to drive a motorcycle? _ "HAS SHE GONE COMPLETELY INSANE?! ON A MOTORCYLCE THAT DOESN'T EVEN BELONG TO HER, WITH WOUNDS THE SIZE OF A DINNER PLATE, IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FUCKING NIGHT!" He ran into the garage. "I'll kill you later, Miroku! Sango, rally the five motorists and send them on an all scale search, then you two join us! I just released Kouga and he may have even seen her leaving!" Inuyasha put on his special helmet that conveniently had microphones and speakers in them so that communication between others on the bikes was still possible. He revved up the engine as he drove off into the night. _What the hell are you thinking, Kagome? This all must really be taking a toll on you…_

Sango and Miroku joined the other five motorists on the bikes and drove off in the same manner Inuyasha did. She talked so that her companions could hear her. "We're on an all scale search, find Kagome and the bike that she's on, and then alert everyone else to the position. Is that clear?" She heard a muffled "Yes ma'am" from the rest of the bikers. 

Inuyasha was already too far ahead. He couldn't smell Kagome over the motored vehicles on the road, and he began to wonder if her little charade was all herself or if Kikyo was truly driving her insane. _God I hope not…_

But he couldn't be mad at her at the moment, he had plenty of time for that later. Right now, he had to find her alive and well, then he could interrogate her all he wanted. That's all he thought as he weaved in and out of cars, going at least thirty over the speed limit to find her. He still stuck to his word; insane or not, Kagome Higurashi was NOT leaving him!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(A/N-As always, my reviewers are the best! Thank you for your wonderful reviews!)

And in case you all hadn't figured it out last chapter, Kouga has now completely betrayed Inuyasha and is now working for Fluffy. Kikyo managed to trick Kagome into the dream curse, but Kagome is not insane! She may have felt a little woozy, but this stunt is all her! She just had plans of her own and was not going to wait around for Inuyasha to help. Ohhhh…suspenseful!


	10. Plans foiled

Disclaimer-Don't own him.

****

Some of you had questions for me, and so, here it goes...  


Sesshomaru is a very focused person, and when he wants something done he goes to  
work doing whatever it takes to get it done. He doesn't have an attraction to Kagome, he just  
wants to kill her and get her out of this world. I guess you could say that the  
way this works is that Sesshomaru is used to getting his way, and I mean he's a  
gang leader, he's killed hundreds of people. Kagome and Inuyasha are on the top of  
his list to kill, so that's why he's so focused in destroying them.  


And trust me, Kikyo is going to die, I hate her with a passion that can only be  
fulfilled in my fanfictions. Don't worry, she's going to go, and probably Kouga  
too.  


As for Fluffy, I'm not sure what to do with him yet. You'll probably find out soon enough!

Chapter 10-Plans foiled

Kagome let the wind sweep her hair as she flew in between the cars. She was now bound and determined to find Sesshomaru and put a stop to all the stuff he was doing. However, when she tied up Shippo, she knew that it wouldn't be long before Inuyasha started searching for her, and when Inuyasha eventually did find her, her little joyride would end. 

She winced as another pain started in her stomach. She had managed to put on her coat after breaking free of her nightmare, but she was still in just her bandages and nothing else. She had her cell phone, should she get into real trouble and decide that she really needed help. She didn't have her chains because she knew Inuyasha could find her that way, too. She was wearing her guns and knives, and the biker gloves on her hands. She wasn't, however, wearing the helmet that had been on the bike because she somehow knew that Inuyasha would be able to know her location through that as well. So now all she had to do was avoid all the cops in New York and she'd be doing nicely.

Kagome was almost surprised. She barely knew how to drive a motorcycle, yet here she was, taking a very expensive bike for a joyride. Instead, she felt terrible. She had tied and bound Shippo with wires that he couldn't possibly break and stole one of Inuyasha's motorcycles so she could go on her mission alone. She couldn't imagine how angry he must have been, or how worried. As soon as he figured she wasn't completely insane, she'd be in for the earache of her life. Oh, boy, was _she _in for it…

Her first destination was clear. She was going to the mansion to take the money out of her account so that she could afford a few things that she would need. She didn't care if this entire mission killed her, she just wouldn't go out completely without a fight. She had to at least try to avenge her father, and hopefully find some answers as to why Sesshomaru did what he did in the first place. Who knew, maybe she was going a little crazy, but she wasn't about to fight it.

Luckily for her, she still had the key to her mansion. She could get in and the guards wouldn't be alerted to the alarm, so hopefully she wouldn't be questioned. 

She wouldn't call Inuyasha unless she needed to, no need to worry him over her whereabouts. He had other matters to attend to, anyway, and she didn't want to be the sun that his life rotated around. She had forgotten at the moment that Inuyasha was a part demon and not only could he sense her aura, but he had the bonding spell helping him slightly. Once he could operate those on the motorcycle, he'd find Kagome, and she'd be in some deep shit...

A vibration came at her hip from the cell phone, but she didn't even glance down. "Ah, they know I'm gone." She said, sure of herself. She had to wince again and hold back the pain of her stomach as it threatened to slow her down. "Shit…I don't need this! Not now!"

She made a sharp turn on her bike and went down a street near the Empire State Building. She came to a complete stop at the stop sign and followed every other law, hoping the police wouldn't pull her over for not having a helmet before she could get to a shop to buy one. Of course, that was when she took time to notice a motorcycle going down a completely different street, but it looked very similar to the one she was riding. In fact, the body shape looked female to her. "Shit, Sango!"

The vibration came at her hip again and she picked it up to look at the caller-id. She sighed deeply. _Sometimes I wish Inuyasha wasn't so persistent…_She looked up and widened her eyes before revving her motorcycle carefully. _Speak of the damn devil!_

Inuyasha was pulling up to the opposite stop sign and looked around. She was close, he could sense it. That's when he noticed right across the street from him was the stolen motorcycle, and Kagome stared at him with wide eyes and a shocked expression while she revved her engine. Inuyasha caught her guilty expression and as she turned to speed off, he was right behind her completely ignoring the cars halting to a screeching stop.

Inuyasha talked into his mouthpiece. "I've found her! On the corner of Washington and Main, but she's not slowing down, so it appears as though we have a chase on our hands."

"Be careful, Inuyasha. I don't want her hurt." Sango stated.

"Yea, yea, I'm not the one who should be careful. She is, and I don't know what is running through her head, but with wounds that big she could seriously get hurt."

"Just stop her, Inuyasha." Miroku stated quietly. He still felt guilty for letting one of his best friends get away.

"I plan on it Monk." Inuyasha stated before turning off his microphone. He sped up and got right along side her, moving his helmet out of his face so he could scream better. "Pull over!" He screamed. She just barely glanced at him before slowly shaking her head and speeding up slightly. "Go away, Inuyasha!" She called over her shoulder.

Inuyasha snorted and got right along side her again with a growl. "You're in pain, damn it! I said pull over!" She shook her head more sternly and looked towards him. "Ashiteru, Inuyasha." Then she turned sharply down a road to loose him, making it impossible for him to turn after her without crashing.

He widened his eyes and diverted his attention back to the road. "Damn it!" He made the next turn to the right but knew that Kagome would manage to loose him. He turned on the microphone again and spoke urgently into it. "I've solved it, she's insane. She's trying to loose me and damn near succeeding, I can't see her anywhere!"

"Don't worry, Inuyasha, I'm in the area. She can't get too far, right?" Sango stated.

"Boss, she's heading west." Stated one of his henchmen. "I could only catch a glimpse of her, but at the speed that she's going I'm not going to catch up."

"Shit, she's going to get herself pulled over! Or at least a cop will tail her until she runs out of gas."

Miroku sighed. "Inuyasha, I think she's heading towards her mansion."

Inuyasha growled. "Why the hell would she go there?"

"It's her home, Inuyasha, she left everything behind when she joined the gang. She could have something there that's needed for whatever it is she's scheming."

Inuyasha snorted, as if words couldn't be expressed at the moment. He wasn't too worried about finding her, the bond had been found and was now leading him to her. He would find her, help her, yell at her like crazy and then kiss her like there was no tomorrow. Yep, he had it all worked out.

Sango blinked carefully while gliding along the streets on her bike, cautiously passing an officer as he sat on the curb. "Inuyasha, you're being very calm about all this. It's eerie."

"I'll be angry later, Sango, right now I'm determined to find Kagome."

Sango sighed. "Inuyasha, don't be angry with just Miroku, I sorta suspected she was scheming earlier."

"I'm not blaming anyone right now, it's all our faults she got away! We have to stop her before she kills herself, and note that psycho bitch, wolf bastard and Fluffy dearest are all out there and seeking her destruction."

It was quiet for a moment before Sango replied. "Kouga doesn't want to kill her, as far as we know he wants to claim her."  
"_Like I said, _they all want her to be doomed! That motorcycle is too strong for her, and I could sense her pain miles away. She's not going to last long until we can get back to healing. So just find her and find a way to stop her without hurting her. Ask questions later."

"Yes, Inuyasha." Many voices rang in his head, telling him that at least part of his club listened to him.

He still felt miserable because of the pain she was going through, but he was determined with his own natural feelings to locate her. Nothing was going to take her away from him, not even temporary insanity. He was thoroughly convinced that Kagome was just overwhelmed by all the information of Sesshomaru pulling his stunts. _Yea, that's it, she was overwhelmed…_

He moved in the way of a car that honked angrily, but he was too absorbed to listen as he flipped them off and continued on his way. The car continued to honk until Inuyasha grew impatient and looked around him, sick of being as nice as he was. He took off his helmet and glared at the people while pulling a knife out of it's sheathe. Luckily the window was down so that his threat was heard out. "You'll regret even looking at me!" 

The people in the car grew shocked and frightened when they realized that it was Inuyasha the Shadow Lurker, but they couldn't do much as he basically shot his knife at the tire and blew it out, causing the car to wind violently on the road before crashing. He smirked and put his helmet back on as the car's explosion forced his hair in front of his face while he sped off into the distance. _No one crosses me. Not and lives to tell about it, that is._

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~

Kagome arrived at her destination with no further obstructions. She knew that Inuyasha's gang had caught several glimpses of her now before she was able to speed ridiculously out of sight, so she hid the bike behind a bush to make sure it wasn't found. She knew exactly where to get into, that is if she got in without getting caught.

The pain in her stomach increased and she had to stop and groan softly while her eye twitched madly. _Shit, without Inuyasha healing me it's getting worse. Apparently if he started the healing, he needs to finish it…no wonder he brought up the issue of pain. _She sighed and shook her head. Now was not the time to worry about pain. She would never get the chance to do this again, especially after Inuyasha got a hold of her. Why it bothered her so much, she would never know, but there was definitely no backing out now.

She managed to pull out a set of keys that she had kept on her the day of the kidnapping and picked out the specific one. Walking up to the back door, she unlocked it with a cloth over her hand and walked inside, cautious of any noise around her. The guards were always scurrying about when both her father and her were known to be alive, but now she was uncertain. There seemed to no need other than to have the security watched from a distance and dispatched if an alarm went off.

She entered the dark room carefully and closed the door behind her. Looking around to her old home, she wondered how long it had truly been since a maid had been in to take care of it. Sure, she didn't approve of the maids doing everything for her, but if they were still on salary then they didn't deserve to be paid for the amount of dust all over the place.

She made her way silently to the stairs and climbed, careful not to touch anything with her bare hands and leave fingerprints. If she were to leave any, then it could definitely complicate things for Inuyasha's gang, and she was trouble enough already. She climbed until she reached her room and then walked in as the door quietly squeaked in protest. She hated her door, as it seemed that her father liked it to be noisy so he knew when she would attempt to sneak out.

There was one thing in specific that she needed from here. Her laptop, along with all the floppy discs she could find. Kagome kept a typed diary and if the police ever decided to snoop through it, they would find the information on Sango and Miroku from when she had first met them. No, finding that would not be a good thing, as she even described how phony that conversation had felt and her constant pondering about it. She could have learned to trust her Miko instincts on that, but she was suddenly glad she didn't.

Kagome walked under her bed and picked up the little laptop still in it's carrying case. As she plopped it down and began stuffing the floppy discs into her pocket, a sense told her that she was not alone in the room. She grabbed her gun and whipped it out, turning and pointing it in Inuyasha's face while he had his gun out in automatic reaction. He didn't mean to, but it was like habit and an automatic reflex for his own protection.

She let out a breath that she didn't even know she was holding and eased the gun down, as he did. _Kuso! I'm caught! _"Don't do that." She glared at him and continued working. She wasn't getting rid of him now, but she wasn't about to stop.

"Do what? Scare you like that? Geez, sorry, maybe next time I'll ask for permission." He stated calmly as he crossed his arms tightly.

She snorted and continued the piling. "I'm in no mood for that, Inuyasha."  
He gave her the most arrogant sounding snort he could muster up. "_You're _in no mood? _I'm _the one who should be pissed here! Do you realize what you have done?!"

"Yea, I've committed five crimes: Stealing, lying, assault, speeding, and riding a motorcycle without a helmet."

"Kagome, this is serious! Stop acting like an arrogant, stubborn bitch for five minutes for once in your life!"

She stared at him. "We can't have this discussion in the middle of this house, Inuyasha! I know what I did was wrong, but I'm not ashamed of it!" The raising of her voice caused her wound to reopen slightly and it started bleeding again against the protest of the bandages. She bit her lip in pain, but didn't do anything as she lifted her laptop up to take it out. "I'm done talking now."

He caught her around the waist and looked at her wound with concern and anger mixing together on his face. "Kagome, are you nuts? You're going to hurt yourself very seriously, now listen to me and come back to the club! I'll have someone else drive that bike of MINE back to the club and you'll ride with me."  
She shook her head. "I'm not done here, I came here to do something and I'm not leaving until I'm finished."

He growled softly. "Kagome you've disobeyed me once and I won't stand for it again. This is now a very big issue, and I won't argue with you about it." His tone certainly left no room for argument.

She jerked out of his arms and stormed out of the room. "We'll see about that." She muttered. He sighed deeply and ran his hands over his forearms. _Yep, she definitely needs to be in my arms. She's going to be cold and end up going into shock._

Inuyasha did the only thing he could do while this angry at her; he followed her like a lost puppy. It only took five minutes for her to escape the first time, and she had a wound to add to it all. He wouldn't let her slip away again, in fact he had already assured of it when he radioed in telling Shippo to come down and take her bike back. He knew he would have to be more forceful with her at the moment. The only way around was if she was riding with Inuyasha, and he'd have it no other way.

Kagome was in her father's room just down the hall, walking in carefully and limping over to a picture that hung on the wall. She pulled it off and messed with the combination before viewing the safe open and reaching into it. Some bundles of money were the first thing she pulled out, but that wasn't her goal. She was searching for her father's secrets, anything and everything that he would most definitely keep from her he stored in the safe. Too bad for him that she was good at figuring combinations, though.

She pulled out some papers and started looking through them, finding some to be uninteresting and useless. One stack of papers, though, she found to be interesting and she pulled back to look at them. Her father mingled with legal documents and many other things involving the government. She figured that maybe something within the government pissed off Fluffy a little bit, and that's why he wanted her dead. She just needed to know what, but something else was eating at her too.

"Inuyasha, how did you find me?" She asked while sitting on the bed, reading as much on the papers as she could.

"I followed the clues from my club members that told me you were heading west. Miroku told me you were probably here."

She never looked away. _Note to self…hurt that monk later…_"How'd you get in?"

He sighed and leaned against the doorway. "Do you honestly think I earned the reputation of a shadow lurker if I wasn't sneaky and clever at the things I do?" His tone was irritated and angry.

She put the paper down and glared at him. "Inuyasha, I'm not asking you not to be mad at me, I'm asking you to understand just slightly why I had to do this."

"Yea, I understand _why_, but what I don't get is _why_ you couldn't have waited until your wound was healed or until after I killed Kouga! Or even until one of us could help you! You went out thinking that you would take care of all of them, even if it killed you, but let me tell you that revenge is not going to mean a thing unless you kill them, Kagome. You can't do that alone, and I have tried to tell you that, but you wouldn't listen to me."

She stared at him. "You knew what I was thinking?"

"It's amazing what a healing bond can do for the senses." He said darkly. Kagome had never seen this side of him, but she had to admit that she deserved it.

"I wouldn't listen because I already knew that I couldn't do it alone, but I had to try. You wouldn't have let me do anything."

He snorted. "And now you see why! You end up doing stuff like this, and you're hurting yourself doing it!"

When she couldn't think of something intelligent, she shrugged and continued reading. "The worst wounds are emotional." She muttered.

Inuyasha growled. "You're telling me." He stated quietly. Kagome looked up at him and sighed.

"I'm sorry, Inuyasha, but it's not going to mean anything to you so just forget it and be mad at me." She looked back down at the papers and folded them carefully, putting them in her laptop bag. She cautiously stood and got into the safe, pulling out any information on herself that she had and may need in the future and stuffing her pockets with the ten and twenty dollar bills. Inuyasha was in no mood to wait around, so she'd grab whatever she thought looked important.

"It's not that I don't accept your apology, I just don't think you understand fully what consequences your actions will have, not only for you, but for the entire state of New York."

"Well I'll know soon enough by the tone of your voice." She packed all the papers into the laptop case and stuffed some bigger money bundles into her pockets.

Inuyasha snorted. "You are rich, why are you taking the small change?" He asked quietly.

"Because I don't have any cash on me and I'd prefer not showing up at a bank to withdraw from my huge account." She took her laptop case and glared at him when he took it from her. "Inuyasha, I can carry it."

He pointed at her. "No more arguing with me. When we get back, you will sit down and finish healing before you even think of moving, and then we are going to have a long discussion about why I'm the boss in the first place."

She sighed, staring at him in defeat. After a minute of what seemed to be pondering, she shrugged her shoulders and moved her arms wildly to show that she didn't like giving in. "Fine, whatever." She finished with a great 'roll of the eyes'.

He gripped her elbow softly and led her out of the room, carefully looking around to make sure they weren't caught. He felt bad instantly, he didn't like being the boss to the point that Kagome could no longer argue with him, but he was so worried about her that he twitched. How else could he get it through to her? She had put herself in too dangerous a situation and in the condition she was in, she had no business leaving the room whatsoever, especially to hijack a motorcycle and tie up a Kitsune.

She made a small noise and he realized that it was a tight suppressant of pain. She now had a freshly bleeding wound, soaking bright red through her bandages, and she felt a little lightheaded. But since this whole thing was her fault anyway, she wasn't going to admit to it. Inuyasha could probably sense it anyway.

They managed to get outside without getting caught, and Inuyasha almost thought that was suspicious, but shrugged it off. He waited for Kagome to lock the door and then lead her to his bike, strapping her laptop onto the back. "Inuyasha, can't I hold onto that?"

"The straps will hold this thing, you _will_ hold onto _me_ with _both_ hands." She sighed. _Once again, no room for argument._

"How long are you going to punish me?"

"Until I feel like stopping." He mounted his bike and put on his helmet, handing her a black one. "Even I wear helmets, so put it on." Slowly she complied and crawled onto his bike, scooting as close as humanly possible to him and holding on with both hands clasped around his waist. She rested her cheek against his back and closed her eyes as the air hit the wet part of her bandages. With Inuyasha's heat, she instantly felt much better, but also a little tired, and that made her a little wary of falling off.

She didn't know why she was cooperating now. She had wanted to go to a few more places and get what she had wanted, and she didn't have the intention on coming back until she was finished. It was like her Miko knew Inuyasha and wanted her to listen to him for her own good because she herself was too stubborn. Kagome knew that it wasn't wise to go directly for Fluffy, or Kikyo for that matter. She had plenty of other things to wrap up first, one of them being her wounds and Inuyasha.

Of course now, Inuyasha wasn't going to let her out of his sight, and it was going to drive her insane. She almost felt like she did when she still lived with her father, trapped and controlled by an angry person. The only difference was that she had free will, better clothing, she could carry weapons and actually ride something other than limos, and she actually enjoyed interacting with people that it involved. In some ways, Inuyasha was exactly like her father, and sadly…she loved him for it. Even if it would irritate the hell out of her.

He nudged her with his elbow to make sure she was awake before starting the engine and taking off. She was wide-awake and holding on, keeping an eye on the laptop in back. _If that thing flies off…_

"It's not going anywhere, so stop worrying about it." She turned her attention back to Inuyasha, but his eyes were focused on the road. She looked down and shrugged. She deserved everything he was doing to her, but since his punishment towards her was a little more 'harsh' than usual, it meant that he was going extremely easy on her when he would have killed a regular club member. After all, Inuyasha was a completely sane person, and like any normally sane person he didn't take too kindly of things being stolen from him, even from his girlfriend.

She could hear the radio inside her helmet talk as Sango's voice came on. "Inuyasha, might I ask if you're the cause of the thirty-third street accident? The driver claims 'Inuyasha the Shadow Lurker' threatened them and popped their tires all while driving his motorcycle."

Inuyasha was quiet for a moment before speaking. "So what if I am?"

"Did you slash their tires from throwing knives? The police are calling the men insane, but that's what they are saying."

"I slashed their damn tires because they were annoying the hell out of me with that cursed horn! They should shut the hell up and be lucky they're alive."

Kagome hadn't moved at all as she pressed her forehead tightly into Inuyasha's back, moaning softly because of her worry, pain and anger. Inuyasha sensed this and calmly took one hand off the handles to place them over the top of hers. He was hoping to show her that he was angry, but it didn't mean that he wasn't worried or didn't care about her. She was loved, but in trouble. He wouldn't say anything, though, because the microphones were on and he wasn't going to mess with them on the way back. 

The mood suddenly changed as shots started firing at them. Inuyasha turned to look behind him and both could see the group of motorcyclists riding not far behind them, all with guns in their hands in an attempt to stop him. He growled and spoke into the microphone. "We're being shot at! Sesshomaru found us! Damn it to hell!"

Sango and Miroku had been circling the club in small turns. Miroku was the next to speak, although he sounded nervous himself. "They've got our club surrounded, Inuyasha. What do we do?"

Kagome gripped him tighter and started speaking. "What do you mean what do you do? Rally the damn club and get them in the fight!"

Inuyasha growled at her. "Don't make the decisions."

"You're not doing it fast enough!" She screamed. She let one of her hands go to reach into her coat and pull out her gun.

Inuyasha started weaving throughout traffic to avoid shots. "Kagome, hold on with BOTH hands!"

She just responded by gripping him tighter with the other hand, turning and shooting at the men shooting at her. She managed to knock one man off his bike, but the other's sped up and started gaining on them.

Inuyasha growled and bent lower. "If you don't hold on, you're going to fall off and I will never forgive myself!"

"I have to shoot!"

"You do what you're told! Hold on!" He bit out, turning a turn sharply, forcing her to grip him tightly as he emphasized his point. She sighed deeply and looked around as the men were forced to continue driving in the direction they were going in, much in the same manner as she had tricked Inuyasha. She knew that method would prove to be useful.

A sharp pain in Kagome's spine indicated that someone they did NOT want to see right now was nearing. She hissed and clenched Inuyasha, almost for safety. _Shit!_

Inuyasha glanced back at her. "What is it?" He asked, anger still in his voice.

"Miko, incoming…" She muttered before seeing the black limo in the distance. She pointed at it and Inuyasha growled deeply. "This is _not _the right time for this!" He turned and went down a different road, avoiding the now speeding limo as much as possible.

Inuyasha's ears twitched as he realized Kagome was muttering something over and over. He could smell her blood as it began to seep through her bandages and onto his back, and he started twitching again as he went over the choices. He knew he had to pull over and start healing her again soon, but he couldn't stop in the middle of a chase. He couldn't take them back to the club because it was now surrounded and in the middle of a fight. He couldn't take her to a hotel somewhere because the police were still looking for her, and he wasn't going to loose her to them, either. Sesshomaru had dispatched his gang and they were now following closely behind them. It seemed he had only one option.

He spoke into the microphone. "If you want that laptop so badly, unstrap it and hold onto it."

She looked at him and carefully did as she was told, pulling the computer into her lap and gripping Inuyasha tightly. He sighed and turned slightly, grabbing Kagome under the shoulders. "Hold on." She gripped him even tighter with one arm and held her computer as he jumped up onto a two-story building and watched the motorcycle crash into an oncoming car, causing a large explosion. Inuyasha carried her bridal style and started running as fast as his Hanyou form could carry him, jumping from building to building. Kagome held him tightly around his neck, rubbed her cheek into his chest and sighed. "I'm really sorry, Inuyasha." She said quietly. She felt like she wanted to cry, but damn her stubbornness wouldn't let her.

He rubbed the shoulder he was holding carefully as he focused on where he was going. "It's ok, Kagome, but this is why I have rules set up in the gang."

"I know that now." She looked ahead of them to have some hint of where he was taking her, but as far as she could tell she couldn't even recognize what part of New York City they were in. "Where are we going?"

He took a glance at her before jumping onto another building and stopping. He set her on her feet carefully and took her computer from her to put the strap over his shoulder like a woman would a purse. Then he picked up his cell phone and called Sango. "What's happening?"

She was panting and the noise in the back round was extremely loud. "Well, things are going about as good as they can. We're kicking ass, but I don't see anyone posing a real threat here other than Rin."

"Rin's alive?"

"You better believe it, better than ever, and she's controlling the part of the gang that is trying to kill us all. She's managed to take a few of our men down, Inuyasha, so we have to deal with that. But it turns out that Kagome's plan really was a good one. You never gave us a complete order, so we listened to our second."

He took an appreciative glance at her before sighing deeply. "I don't think I can risk bringing Kagome back there tonight. This would be the first fight I haven't fought with you guys in. Can you handle it?"

"Sure, Inuyasha, this is an easy fight. I'll call you if something changes."

"Thanks."

"No prob." Then they both hung up, Inuyasha bending his head down to see Kagome taking a seat on the roof of the building they had landed on while panting slightly. He bent down near her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you ok?"

She nodded. "Of course."

"Kagome, how can you be ok? Look at this…" He barely touched her waist, pulling back his hand to show her the blood that had seeped through her bandage. "I'm surprised you're still awake with all this blood loss."

She looked at him and sighed. "I'm about to use the corniest line in the world, but the only reason I keep going is because you taught me to, Inuyasha. I'm too stubborn to stop now."

He sighed. "Well I guess for once you being stubborn is not a bad thing." He looked around and sniffed. "We're going somewhere that I haven't been in a while, but this time, I need you to do everything I say, when I say it, and no arguing. It's important, Kagome."

Kagome managed to stare at him carefully. "You're my boss, I have no choice but to listen to you, at least now anyway."

Inuyasha's ears twitched and he looked around to make sure they were still alone. He had one more question that needed to be answered because of his growing curiosity. "Why do you need all the stuff you took from your dad? And that computer…"

She briefly pushed herself up to her feet. "Those papers could be clues, Inuyasha, for one thing. And my laptop has my diary on it, so I don't want the police to find it. It would bring up too many questions and possible endanger the gang."

"Why are you worrying about the gang, Kagome? You may be second, but my top priority is making sure you're safe, and yours should be on resting." He stood and prepared to lift her again.

"Someone has to worry about the gang, Inuyasha. If you won't then I will."

"You didn't when you took my motorcycle for a joyride, did you?" He almost smirked at her automatic stubbornness flashing across her face. He felt like smirking because he knew that an argument was coming on.

"Inuyasha, I had to get out, that's why I took your motorcycle. Had I known that Sesshomaru would choose today, of all days, to send his gang out on random patrols of the city then I would have stayed in that boring complex!"

"Psh, boring? All the stuff I have in there probably costs more than your mansion! That motorcycle sure wasn't cheap!"

"_HAD I crashed it, _I would have paid for it, probably in both pain and money. I don't care how much it would have cost, I know for a fact that I have more money than Inuyasha the Shadow Lurker."

"You don't know that for sure! But that's beside the point! You're little stunt forced me to let Kouga get away, which makes him one more person to worry about! Now he's probably searching the streets for you as we speak!"

Kagome widened her eyes as she thought about it. "Shit…" She hadn't thought of that. Honestly, she hadn't thought of any consequences other than Inuyasha's mouth. She wasn't going to fret about her actions at the time, so of course she would skip over the completely obvious worries.

She held her head and closed one of her eyes as the beginnings of a migraine appeared. "Damn it, do me a favor and take me where you're going to take me because I'm getting a headache."

He sighed and lifted her again, this time being more graceful as he jumped from building to building. Kagome clung to him like a lifeline, for in reality, he was. He took care of her, made sure she was safe, and gave her a run for her money with his arguing skills. She even felt bad about angering him or doing something that would make him worry about her for no reason whatsoever. 

She sighed deeply as she came to her conclusion. She really had it bad for Inuyasha.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"I cannot see what Inuyasha sees in that intellectual whore, Sesshomaru." Kikyo claimed, tightening her arms over her chest. Her face was stern as they rode around in the limo, trying to figure out where his little brother had eluded them. She had been ready to open the windows and shoot some power at them, but then Inuyasha grabbed Kagome and jumped off while the bike crashed into a car and disappeared over the buildings.

Sesshomaru remained in his white ceremonial outfit. He didn't like to dress professionally unless he was meeting with an important person. Other than that, it was his ancient outfit. He scowled and looked out the opposite window. "Silence, wench. You babble on and on about my brother as if he is the sugar to your tea. Inuyasha is not something to fret over."

"I beg to differ. Ever since that other Miko wench had gotten her claws into him I have wanted nothing more that to see them in pain. And I will have my revenge…" She cringed and clenched her fists.

Sesshomaru couldn't show any emotion other than the frustrated rolling of his eyes. "We shall both have revenge, Kikyo, but not you before I. You simply don't want that Higurashi girl on the earth because you fear her Miko abilities, even though you are a strong Miko all on your own."

"Sesshomaru, even if a Miko has incredible power, the variety of powers differ between Mikos. Kagome could pull something out of her sleeve that would make even me bow down to her. But why are you after her again?"

"My reasons are my own, and more worth my time."

She crossed her arms. "Oh really? Tell me, Fluffy, what are they?"

He growled softly. "Call me that again and Miko or not I will kill you." He shifted in his seat and looked out the window. "The little wench has had this little habit of messing up my plans since she moved to this city. Her and her father's meddling with the government angered me, not to mention the fact that he had a suspicious amount of money that I could have put to good use. Inuyasha no Baka had to mess everything up in this little childish war we have, and now I want nothing more than to see that bitch dead and Inuyasha's pain. This little chase of attempts is what makes this all worth it." He exhaled carefully and stared at her. "And I am never going to repeat myself, so ask again and I will kill you."

She arrogantly smirked at him, making him angry. "So many empty threats, Sesshomaru. You can't kill me and you know it, not while that egotistical bitch is still walking this earth. The only way to kill this Miko with that strong of a bond to Inuyasha is…"

"Is for another Miko to take her out, yes, I know I know. I have grown tired of that little speech, and one day when you catch me in the wrong mood, I'll change your mind with a sweep of my claws."

She snorted and kept her first comment to herself. It was obvious that they only worked together because they needed each other. She needed his protection and he needed her supernatural powers. All in all, they could barely stand each other, but they still worked together. 

Both Inuyasha and Kagome had become a great challenge for him. He wanted both dead as soon as possible, but they could elude death and fight strongly to the end, and they were doing well at the moment. After Kikyo had informed him on the conversation that she had with the wench in her dream, they knew she would be running to try and gather her things for a battle. Of course, Inuyasha wouldn't stand it and they knew that as soon as he found out she was gone, he'd have his entire club on an all city search. Good way to catch them, while they aren't together, so he sent his club out for the chase in hopes of bringing back two trophy heads.

The second comment just popped out and his reaction to it surprised her. "I just want that bitch's head in a basket."

"You may have her head, but I wish for the challenge of dislodging Inuyasha's from his shoulders."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~~*~*~*~~*

Kagome tilted her head forward as her eyes eased shut. Once she had realized it, though, she sat back up instantly only to have her head lulling again in the next minute. She was so tired she could barely stay awake, but she wanted to be awake when Inuyasha took her wherever they were going. She, too, had a growing curiosity about this man.

Right outside the city was a series of homes and cabins all on their own little plot of land. Inuyasha jumped up to the closest cabin and opened the door, not slowing down as he took her inside.

The lights automatically came on and Kagome took note that the place was a little average looking, with expensive things here and there, but nothing all that bad. It reminded her an awful lot of Sango's apartment, except the furniture was a dark blue instead of black leather. The rooms were all joined with nothing more than counters between them, and then the bathroom and other rooms were in the back. She had to admit, she rather enjoyed the average surroundings.

"Inuyasha, where are we?"

He sat her down carefully on the couch. "This was Miroku's house before he joined the club. He still owns it, so nobody else lives here." He took her laptop and put it on the kitchen counter before removing his coat and walking back into the backrooms to check them.

"What are you doing?" She asked. She was starting to get cold again and she didn't like it.

"I'm seeing if the guest room is in nice order for guests."

"Why not just take the master?" Her curiosity was getting the better of her.

He turned and came back into the room with an eyebrow cocked. "Are you nuts? I don't want to be, or for you to be, in the same bed that Miroku and Sango have _shared_ plenty of times."

Kagome nodded slowly and her mouth let out a silent 'oh'. That thought put a dirty image in her head and she shook it violently to get it out. "Eww…"

After locking the door, he lifted her again and took her back into the bedroom. "I figured this time it would be better to rest in a bed."

She nodded and sighed in content. The bed in the room was larger, probably a queen, and it would definitely be easier to continue with the healing. She wouldn't object to anything at the moment, she just wanted to get some rest before she thought of committing crimes again.

He sat her down on the bed and looked around the room while sniffing the air. He opened the closet to reveal a large amount of black clothing. "These are Sango's clothes. This is probably where she would stay when she and Miroku weren't at it."

She crossed her arms and sighed. "I'm betting you could smell that kind of thing, couldn't you?"

"Not to mention hear it. You have no idea how horrible it is to have the hearing of a dog when you're sitting in your office and they're in the apartments across the street."

Kagome choked back a laugh. "Yea, I can't imagine."

He shrugged and removed his coat and shirt to reveal his flawless chest. He stared at her before walking into the bathroom that happened to be conjoined to the room to get her a towel. "Take off your coat while I get a towel."

She nodded and slowly peeled off her coat, throwing it on the floor. Her hands were already covered in the sticky blood as she leaned back. It was almost as if her 'top' had been dipped in a pool of blood red dye. She realized that Inuyasha was right, she normally would have passed out long ago from massive blood loss.

So why didn't she? It shouldn't have anything to do with her Miko abilities because the only true power with those supernatural abilities was to shoot power and create shields, etc. _Maybe the bond with Inuyasha made me stronger…hmm…_

Inuyasha came back in with two dark red towels as he climbed onto the bed behind her. He put a leg on each side of her and began to dab at the sticky bandages with the towels in hopes of soaking some of it up. When he was through with that, he began to slowly unwrap the cloth and observed her put her hands on his knees to help with the pain. Apparently touching the wound in any way hurt too badly for her to ever admit.

He sighed deeply. When they were through healing, she was definitely going to have to take a bath because by then she'd have dried blood all over her. Not only was it unappealing, but so much of it reeked to the point that it reminded him of the stench of near death. In some cases of his blind rage fits, it was a pleasing thing, but with Kagome it was almost frightening.

She sighed heavily and leaned her head back on his shoulder with her eyes clenched shut. "Damn my stubbornness…" She muttered, trying her hardest not to sound like she was in pain but failing.

Inuyasha stared at her wound like it wasn't there. More or less, she had ripped a rip the length of the wound and it had started bleeding heavily with slight scabbing over the top. Inuyasha quickly pressed the towel to her wound and kissed her neck as if apologizing for her pain. "Wow, you ripped quite the hole in your stomach due to your arrogant self." He stated calmly, and she couldn't help but smile at him.

"Well this'll teach me then, won't it?" She squeezed his knee tightly as if emphasizing her point.

His mouth was right next to her ear, his voice resonating. "That's why I am the boss. You need to quit being so egotistical and submit to me instead of being a dominant wannabe with a temperamental personality."

"If you weren't helping me, you'd probably get smacked for saying that." She stated and he chuckled while still pressing the towel to her wound.

"You're cute when you're mad, you know that?"

She snorted with disbelief. "You are the most confusing bastard I have ever met! Your club is having a war with your brother right now and you are happy enough to argue with me, not to mention I just stole your motorcycle and forced you to crash it…"

"Did you ever notice how peaceful it is when we argue?"

"You're not even listening to me."

He grinned. "Nope." He traced her shoulder with his claw and shrugged. "I don't know, Kagome, Sango and Miroku can handle the club, you've been found and I got you back safely, we're hiding somewhere that Fluffy doesn't know about…why fret over something when I shouldn't be worried?"

She turned slightly and stared at him. "You just seem so much calmer than you used to be…"

He nodded. "That's probably because of the bonding spell. I feel calmer when you're around, and merciless when you're not."

Kagome smiled slightly and played with the hair in his face. "I guess even egotistical bastards can make an intelligent woman like me like you even more."

"Hmp…" Inuyasha removed the towel and glanced at her wound, sighing carefully. "Well, it's stopped bleeding. At least we can start healing again."

She rolled her eyes. "How long should it take this time?"

"A little longer, I'm not sure. You know maybe if you stay put this time, you won't rip it open again and this won't take longer than it should."

"Smart ass, I've learned my lesson."

"I hope so, bitch, I hope so." He backed up slightly against the bed and brought her with him, pulling up the covers and dragging her under them. He then brought her against him and nuzzled his cheek in her hair. "Now go to sleep, and stay that way for a while."

She nodded and held him tightly, feeling the immediate comfort of his arms. It seemed as though her body heat returned to her the minute she was snuggled into his embrace, making her almost eager to go to sleep. She was a little fearful, however, that Kikyo would be visiting her in her dreams, but all that was wiped away as Inuyasha's soothing hands combing through her hair put her to sleep.

Inuyasha stared down at her and kissed her forehead after he made certain she was slumbering. He had been terrified when he searched for her, and now that he knew she was safe, he found it hard to stop the irritating twitching that were his nerves. Had he lost her, something inside would have snapped and he wasn't sure what he would have been capable of.

With that thought, he pulled her closer before closing his own eyes. "Don't ever do that to me again, Kagome Higurashi." Then he fell into a deep sleep for the first time in a long time.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(A/N-I'm still getting great reviews! Thank you!)


	11. War and Peace

Disclaimer-I don't own him, but don't we all wish we did?

WARNING-This chapter contains content that is not suitable for children under 17. If a kid reads it, don't say I didn't warn you!

Chapter 11-War and peace

Sango crept along side of the limo Rin had used to arrive. She had to be sneaky if she wanted to catch the woman before she jumped into the vehicle and sped away. Miroku and the rest of the gang were still shooting at the ones left in the gang, but Rin wasn't going to go down again. Sango knew she had learned from her mistakes of not being aware of everything around her last time and there was no way she'd be doing it again. So, new tactic, catch them by surprise when they're least expecting it. She hoped that Rin would for once be caught of guard so that she'd be caught and interrogated like she would never believe.

However, no such luck.

Rin turned and glared at Sango through the window of the limo. Sango, not knowing what else to do, got up and started shooting at her over the top of the vehicle at a range that could blow her head off her shoulders. Rin managed to turn and get a shot in, enough to graze the top of Sango's shoulder before she climbed into the limo and it sped off, leaving the rest of the gang to ponder their deaths because their leader had left them. 

Miroku and the gang took out the three standing men in less than a minute and he rushed to make sure Sango was all right. She was still standing and seemed perfectly fine, but she held her shoulder as the blood leaked down her arm, over her gun and onto the ground.

Miroku took off his sleeveless shirt and pulled her hand away from her wound to place it and hold it firmly in place. He knew Sango was all right, so he didn't ask. He did, however, make sure that she wouldn't do anything by herself. "Come on, Sango, we have bandages in the club."

"Miroku, I'm going to live."

"I know, but I can be worried about you all I want. I mean, give me some credit, I held back that automatic reaction of asking if you were alright."

She smirked. "Very wise, my friend, very wise." She sighed deeply. It was just scrape, nothing that was too serious and that couldn't heal in a couple of weeks. Too bad she didn't have supernatural abilities with healing powers, though, so that it didn't leave a scar.

The rest of the gang members cleaned up the mess on the street as Miroku tended to Sango's wound in Inuyasha's office. She let him, even though she was more worried with the whereabouts of Inuyasha and Kagome. "I wonder if Kagome and Inuyasha are ok."

"Of course they are, Sango. We are talking about Inuyasha here."

"Well I'm just saying that we haven't seen Fluffy or psycho bitch all night. And I know for a fact that Sesshomaru usually shows up at the fights unless he has something else he's doing."

"Sango, Inuyasha felt well enough to call you, I think they are fine. Besides, if he didn't bring her back to the club then he probably took them to my house. There's no where else they could hide out and not worry about being hurt."

Sango nodded and poked Miroku when he finished wrapping her arm. "Yea, I guess so. I'm just glad Kagome is found and GET YOUR HAND OFF MY ASS!"

Miroku smirked and pulled his hand away before Sango slapped him. He kept the smirk as he rubbed his cheek. "I guess you are all right if you're well enough to still hit me using that shoulder."

"Ugh…lecher."

"Only to you, Sango, only to you." He stood and offered her a hand up. She slowly took it and became wary of his hand. "We must make sure the club is doing a good job, Sango, so let's go."

She nodded and followed him out to the street. They had to get that mess picked up before a cop just happened to drive by and notice all the bodies left everywhere. That wouldn't end well for the gang.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kagome woke an annoying light shining in her eyes. She slowly opened her eyes and took note that before she could focus she was hugging something incredibly warm. Something soft, and very, very warm…

She blinked a couple of times and moved her head up to find that she was sleeping on Inuyasha, while he had a hand behind his head and the other possessively holding her to him. She continued to blink and smirked at his sleeping face. He was the cutest thing in the world when he was sleeping.

She remembered that she had a wound, and taking note at how strong the sun was, she had been asleep all night and most of the day. She looked down and gaped. There was no wound, it was once again her smooth and flawless stomach just covered in the sticky remains of blood. Inuyasha must have taken note to that, too, because his hand rested right above the area the wound would be and directly under her breasts.

She shifted and stopped as soon as she heard Inuyasha growl. She turned her head slightly to him and saw him crack his eye open to stare at her. "Don't move." He said sleepily, pulling her even closer to him.

Kagome smiled slightly. "But I'm healed."

He snorted and continued to pull her closer. "So? I said don't move, I'm not ready for you to go anywhere yet." He had pulled her close enough that she nestled her cheek in the crook of his neck as he rubbed his cheek against her hair.

She sighed and traced little designs on his chest. "Did you sleep well?"

"Duh, I slept deeply and I hardly ever do that." He took deep breaths and Kagome bit her lip to hide her laugh.

"Inuyasha…are you…are you sniffing me?" She desperately tried to keep the humor out of her voice.

He continued doing it. "Yea, your hair smells good. What kind of shampoo does Sango have?"

Kagome chucked slightly and shrugged. "Herbal essence?" 

"Hmm, no wonder, it smells good." He buried his face in her hair to get away from the still lingering stench of her blood. Now that he was awake, it was driving him crazy, but he'd only lie for a few more minutes before making her get up to clean herself up. Besides, he was warm and comfortable, and he was the type to make moments like this last for as long as he could.

Kagome shifted again and his grip tightened while he growled softly. She shifted back towards him and moved closer, so he stopped the growling and secured his grip to make sure she would stay there. Once he got up, he had to start his day, and he didn't want to do that. No, he would kill to stay in this position forever.

His cell phone rang across the room on the dresser and he gave it a glare as if that would stop the ringing. But instead he sighed and moved Kagome away from him to stand and stretch. "I suppose since _now_ I'm forced to get up, you should go and take a shower."

Kagome wasn't slow about it. She stood and covered her arms tightly over her chest, hearing Inuyasha mutter something to the effect of that she didn't need to cover herself when he had already seen it all. Completely stunned, she continued walking into the bathroom and closed the door, leaning on it to sigh deeply. _Well that was weird…_She shrugged it off and hopped into Miroku's shower, noting that all his shampoos seemed exotic and very expensive. It made her wonder slightly about where he was really brought up.

Meanwhile, Inuyasha picked up his phone in the same manner as always. "What the hell do you want?"

"Ah, finally awake I see. How many times do I have to call you before you answer your phone, Inuyasha?" Miroku's cheerful and humorous tone made Inuyasha scowl.

"What do you want, Miroku?" Inuyasha suddenly found himself distracted by the sounds of the shower and the doors slamming together as Kagome got into the shower. He was male, he just got up, so sue him, he would love nothing more than to be in that shower with her at the moment.

"Well Inuyasha, I thought that as our rightful leader you would want to know about the battle last night in our club."

"If you are well enough to call me then you obviously made it out alive, now didn't you?" Kagome started humming in the shower and he found all his focusing to be on the shower instead of on his friend on the phone. Her still lingering scent was going to drive him insane if he didn't do something about it.

"Well if you must know, we all made it out ok, but Sango has obtained a minor injury on her shoulder from a bullet wound. She and Rin were at it at close range, and Rin almost got her head blown off."

Inuyasha was barely listening now. "Uh huh…well…" He was even looking toward the door of the bathroom. He had an unexplainable yet appealing urge to throw the phone across the room and join her.

There was a long pause before Miroku cleared his throat. "Inuyasha, I invited thirty women to have sex with me on your office desk last night, I hope you don't mind." The now angry Sango was nudging him, but he held up a finger to show he was making a point.

"Uh…yea, sure, whatever." He was gazing at the door, carefully inching towards it. He was going to be brave, and he'd enjoy every minute of it.

"Inuyasha, what the hell are you doing? You're not even paying attention to me, what's going on over there?"

"I…umm…I can't talk now, I'm busy, gotta go." Then he threw the phone to his bed and walked over to the door, opening it and carefully walking in.

He closed the door without Kagome noticing he had come in, completely oblivious as she was washing her hair. He smirked at the thought of the many possible reactions she would have, and unless she was completely hysterical, he would enjoy it. He still couldn't help but wonder what she would do. _Well duh, she'll be shocked first then appreciate it later. Besides, I can't help myself…_

Kagome stopped for a second and looked around. She thought that something felt different, and over time she had learned to trust her instincts, but hey, she was taking a calm shower and nothing was going to bother her. Nope, not a thing could disturb her from her nice, peaceful, relaxing...

She suddenly felt arms around her and tensed completely as Inuyasha held her tightly to him, more or less to calm her now adrenaline surging nerves. She was completely shocked…she didn't even hear the door open. 

He began to slowly kiss the junction of her neck, taking the slightest nibble every once in a while. She relaxed slightly and grabbed his arms, but was still recovering slightly from shock. "Inuyasha…what are you doing?" She asked, her breathing a little heavy.

He moved his mouth up by her ear and kissed it. "What's it look like I'm doing?" He purred in her ear.

She couldn't think of anything intelligent to say, so she shrugged. "I dunno."

"Well you're the intelligent person, I'm supposed to be the stupid dog that you make fun of, remember?" He smoothed one hand down her side and she shivered as his hand left a burning trail down her skin. Dogs were _not _supposed to be able to do that.

She turned in his grip and stared at him with humor. "You do know that you are nude in a shower with me? I just want to make sure you're not hallucinating or anything because I am naked and you are acting..."

He grinned and gripped her waist tightly. "Oh, trust me, Kagome, I know exactly what I'm doing." He smashed his mouth against hers in the most passionate and hungry kiss she guessed anybody else in the world had ever experienced. It was both hot and demanding, and she reacted by gripping his shoulders tightly as if afraid her knees would give under his urgent attention.

Inuyasha worked his hand to the small of her back and the other held the back of her head for the best angle kissing. He slowly backed her up until she leaned against the wall of the shower, carefully pinning her to the wall and moving the hand that was holding her back to her hip. He massaged his fingers into her skin and broke the kiss to go back down to her neck, bracing himself. He purposely bit down hard on the junction of her shoulder and she gasped as her knees gave out. She was easily caught and he wrapped her legs around him while gripping her knees tightly and lapping at the blood.

Kagome held tightly around his neck and snorted in realization after the initial shock wore off. "You jerk! You had that planned! You didn't even warn me that it was going to hurt!"

He kissed her cheek and smirked. "I know that, I didn't tell you because it's better to do it this way."

"You're still a jerk."  
"And you're still a bitch." He moved slightly closer to her and she gasped at what she felt on her thigh. "My bitch." He muttered and kissed her deeply. He moved his head slowly down and began to give her breasts the attention they had been dying for since he had first seen them, licking hot trails across her chest.

Kagome closed her eyes and leaned her head back onto the wall of the shower. She bit her bottom lip in an attempt to keep quiet as he ravished her breasts with kisses, licks and nips of all sorts. She knew that he wanted to hear her moan and she was going to make him work for it. By god, she never gave in easily and she wouldn't start now.

Of course, Inuyasha caught onto the game she was playing and knew that he could win. He let go of her legs so that she had to hold herself up by clamping her legs around him tightly. Running a hand up and down her back, he managed to trail a perfect trail down her spine with the tips of his claws and earned something close to a moan but more like a heated gasp. He smirked while sucking on the skin of her neck. _I'm getting closer..._

Inuyasha was unaware that Kagome had other plans for him. She had an obnoxious look in her eyes as she reached down and gripped him softly, watching his face as he fought to keep it straight but failing miserably. His eyes fluttered shut and he moaned softly, moving his hands back to grip and squeeze her thighs while giving into his defeat. So she won that round…

His hands started to stroke the insides of her thighs while she still held her grip on him. Slowly she caressed him and he leaned his head on her shoulder with a huge sigh. "That is not fair." He muttered. Her actions made it so he couldn't see straight without taking her with such force that he could rip her in half right then and there.

Kagome smirked, using her other hand to rest on his cheek. "You just can't admit that you lost to me."

He looked at her and returned the smirk full on. "I suppose right now I don't really care." He moved closer to her and covered her mouth with his in an almost painfully light kiss. It was more of a display of affection to Kagome and she found it to be interesting. After all, he _was_ giving her extremely passionate kisses a few moments ago, but then again a few minutes ago she didn't have his ego in her hand.

Inuyasha could barely stand it. She still held him and caressed him, while the warm water of the shower rained down on them, and it was going to drive him insane! _Only one thing to do…_He pried her hand away from him and pinned it on the wall against her face. His other hand held her up so that she wouldn't fall.

He met her eyes with a knowledge that he would hurt her, but she smiled and used her remaining hand to play with his ear. Kissing her to distract her, he pushed into her part of the way before pulling back and thrusting so that he broke her barrier and filled her to the hilt. Inuyasha began to purr slightly and would have smiled if he were listening. Kagome gave him that moan that he wanted while clamping her legs even more tightly around his waist.

She was now effectively pinned between the cold wall of the shower and Inuyasha. As he began to slowly pull in and out she took short gasps at first, then when the pain went away she began to move more with him, encouraging him to speed up just slightly. She ran her hands down the working muscles of his back and kept her head leaned against his shoulder as she moaned. She didn't quite have words for the bliss she felt at the moment, how good she felt with him pounding into her. She just knew that she liked it and didn't want it to stop.

Inuyasha was still going as slow as his sanity would let him, forced to increase every few seconds so he didn't claw her to death. The only noises he made were a few moans and pants every once in a while, trying to avoid anything that would get the neighbors asking questions. He didn't want to have to have to kill anybody for eavesdropping, at least not an innocent bystander who didn't know how to mind their own business. Trust him, he _would _kill if someone interrupted such a moment.

Kagome bit her lip and held her head up, clawing the hell out of his back. She brushed her cheek against his. "Inuyasha, harder."

He growled softly and moved both hands to her thighs, spreading her wider and pumping harder and deeper into her. He licked her cheek and she shivered, fisting her hands in his hair. She could feel her release creeping closer and closer, especially with the warm water dripping down onto their skin and the noises that Inuyasha was making.

Finally her walls clenched around him as she came and he slowly followed with a few more thrusts into her. She leaned her head back against the wall and closed her eyes as she attempted to regain her breathing. Inuyasha still panted slightly and removed himself from her, slowly helping her stand on the shower floor but managing to keep her leaning against the wall. He leaned his head on her shoulder and smirked. "We really should come here more often."

Kagome smiled and opened her eyes. "Yea, I seem to have fun when I come here." She laughed and played with his ear. "Did you plan that?"

"No, I decided on the spur of the moment that it sounded like fun." He began kissing her neck with soft butterfly kisses. His voice was muffled against her skin. "Now you'll have to wash off again."

She smirked. "Yea, I know." She began to realize that something was different…not in a bad way, no, something other than that. She could almost tell what Inuyasha was thinking, as if her psychic abilities improved immensely. But she was certain that she knew what he was feeling, as right then he felt content and complete, and very pleased that he had made the choice to join her. It was so vivid and noticeable that she could almost see it like an aura when she focused her Miko powers. Inuyasha seemed to almost glow with a blue, happy color, which in turn made her very happy herself.

Kagome also noticed that in the places where their skin touched, she could feel a soothing wave of relaxation calm her entire body. It became apparent that the closer she was to him, the calmer she'd feel, and that may have been the reason that Inuyasha didn't kill as often when she was around. He didn't feel the need to kill because he didn't get as frustrated. So, problem solved, now all they had to do to stay calm was to use this new bond and hold each other so they could feel the calming ripples of peace flowing through them.

After all, she had read about this in her studies in Japan. She now had a full bond with Inuyasha, and if she was correct, he had marked her as his when he bit down on her neck. She almost widened her eyes when she remembered that no matter what breed you are, human or demon, when a bond is made to another demon your life span increases to a longer and healthier life. She may even live as long as Inuyasha now. Perhaps it was worth the pain of the bite.

Kagome mentally cursed herself for not suspecting something like that to happen. It was a vow of honor in all demons to mark their mates before they mated with them and she had long ago guessed he didn't join her in the shower just to wash off because he was impatient. No, he was way too obnoxious for that and he always had been. She should have seen it coming.

She was brought back to reality when his soap lathered hands lifted her and turned her away from him so he could gently cleanse her backside. She kept her eyes closed as the water beat down on her shoulders and Inuyasha managed to finish the other side so he could start lathering her front. Kagome didn't mind as she was too busy trying to keep from falling over at his relaxing gestures.

"Do you think that Sango will care if I borrow some of her clothes?"

"It's not like she has a say in it anyway, I'm her boss for one thing and if I tell her to share attire she'll do just that. Not to mention I helped pay for some of those clothes." He finished cleansing her and rested his hands on her waist. "Are you planning on leaving soon or something?"

"Well I kinda figured you were, and this isn't your house, it's Miroku's. The war's over, at least for now, so we should be going back soon by my calculations."

"Hmph, by your calculations. I'm the boss around here, I'll tell you when we can leave." She smirked at him as he began to lap at her still bleeding wound.

The ringing of his cell phone was heard ringing in his ears and he growled deeply. He had to answer it, what if it was an emergency? "Damn it to hell, if that's Miroku he's going to feel incredible pain for as long as he lives."

Kagome patted his shoulder before he could open the door. "Go easy on him, I think he might have been mildly curious about what was going on when you hung up on him."

Inuyasha looked towards the ground to ponder what she had said. _The hell, how did she know I hung up on him?_ Before he could ask, the phone's ringing grew more urgent and annoying, so he kissed her quickly and exited the shower. He towel dried himself off and slipped on his pants, towel drying his hair as he left the bathroom.

Kagome continued to wash off in the shower, a light smirk playing over her face. Strangely, she wasn't tired at all. If anything, she felt more energetic than before, and she suspected that Inuyasha felt the same way. She didn't think it made much sense, but then again, she was finding out many things that she didn't know before today.

After washing her hair she turned off her shower and stepped out, wrapping herself in the towel hanging off the side of the shower doors. _Funny, Inuyasha's been on the cell phone for a while and I haven't heard him screaming yet. He must be talking to Sango or Shippo._ She dried her hair off with a towel that was resting on the floor and walked out into the bedroom, hearing Inuyasha talk in a bored tone in the kitchen. "Hmm…yea, he's probably talking to Sango."

"No, I told you already…we're going to take a while, you can handle the club, you're still the third…I don't care…what do you mean that's not like me?" The entire time he talked he didn't raise his voice, even though he did show annoyance and irritability.

Kagome suppressed a laugh and began to dress in some of Sango's clothes. Her attire was a little different this time, with the black pants a little baggier then what she was used to. Chains criss-crossed in back, both hooking at the hip and then going down on the opposite leg so that when she would walk they would make a louder clinking sound. Her shirt was a skin tight spaghetti strap that clung tightly to her body shape, making her seem even smaller than before. She found more biker gloves in the drawers and a brush on the vanity mirror by the door. She began to put her hair up as Inuyasha walked in and leaned against the doorway.

She stared at herself in the mirror without looking at him. "So what did Sango want?"

"She was just telling me about how the little war went."

Kagome took a small glance out of the corner of her eyes. "Well what did she say?"

"That one of our men died and a couple more, including herself, have obtained injuries."

"Is it serious?" She proceeded to put her hair up but her tone became worried.

"I'm thinking that if we had more time to think about it then maybe there would have been another way out of that mess."

She glanced at him sternly. "What else would they have done, Inuyasha? I told them to do it because it seemed like there wasn't much choice."

"Well what if there were other ways? I'm just saying that maybe there were other ways out without endangering the club members. I told you I was boss and that you should have at least waited for me."

Kagome snorted. "This is stupid, Inuyasha. We shouldn't be having this pointless conversation. I admitted that I was wrong to steal from you and yet you still push to make me feel miserable about it."

"So what? You saying that I'm stupid and that this is all something that I shouldn't have to explain to you even though you disobey me anyway after 'claiming' to know the rules?"

She continued to brush her hair up and didn't look at him as she watched herself in the mirror. "That's not what I meant and you know it. You're just looking for an excuse to battle verbally and throw any intelligence you have at me."

"Look, I'm trying to tell you why other people in my group got killed all the time. They did exactly what you are doing, they didn't listen to me and put themselves and the gang in danger. People like that were usually taken out on the first shot."

"So why don't you kill me?"

"Oh for crying out loud, Kagome, you know better than that! I'm not getting into that again." He ran a gloved hand through his hair. "My point is, if you hadn't told the gang to do that before I had time to think it over then maybe we could have come up with a better solution and make it so that no one else could have gotten hurt."

Kagome stared wide-eyed at him. "So you're pinning this on me?" She finished tying her hair up and pushed passed him in the doorway. "If we had waited for your mind to think of something else then the gang would have died waiting for your commands. They were surrounded, damn it!"

He snorted as he followed her into the living room. "You had better sit down if we're going to argue, you might hurt yourself."

Kagome turned around and remained in the defensive position with her arms crossed tightly under her chest. "Inuyasha, this is ridiculous! So what if I told them to do it? They won, didn't they?"

"Sheesh, Kagome, do we really have to have this conversation again? I told you the rules, and whether you're my mate or not you have to listen." He sat down in the a chair with his back against the arm and a leg over the other arm.

"I…" She looked down. _Did he just say, mate? I knew I was his, but to go as far as mate… hmm…oh, no duh, Kagome, he marked your shoulder._ "Am I really considered your mate now, Inuyasha?"

He sighed deeply and stretched in the chair, sitting on it as if it were a malformed futon. "I thought you studied this crap, Kagome. You claimed you did, that's how you knew I was Hanyou."

"I did, I did…" She stared down at the floor and tapped her chin with the forefinger with the hand that was covering it. "I don't remember everything, I'm not exactly as intelligent as I lead on to be."

Inuyasha suppressed a laugh at Kagome admitting that she was wrong about something, but the smirk went through his mask. "Sweetie, are you feeling ok?" He ducked from the oncoming book flying at his face and smirked. "Yep, I guess you are."

"Will you stop calling me that?" She glared at him while he just sat there looking mildly amused, still smoothing his hands through his hair.

"It irritates you, that's why I do it."

"That's rude and insensitive Inuyasha."

"Ah yes, I forgot my manners as I am The King of Politeness." 

She snorted. "The King of the dogs is more like it."

"Woman, how many times do I have to tell you that I'm dog DEMON, not half dog, DOG DEMON, got it yet?"

"The only thing that stops me from 'understanding' your point of view are the very adorable yet mildly irritating DOG EARS on your head!" She walked over to the laptop on the counter and pulled it out of its case. She then stormed back over to the couch in front of his chair and sat down with her feet propped up on the coffee table.

"It's not my fault my dad was a DOG demon, Kagome. I can't help the card I was dealt just like you couldn't until I stole you away from it all. All I can do is play it to my advantage."

She sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Damn…You're right, I'm sorry."

He put a hand over his mouth in a shocked form. "Kagome is admitting she's sorry?! What's next, Miroku through with groping women? Sango no longer being the scary bitch she is when she's angry!"

Kagome smiled softly and threw the pillow next to her at him. "You should be happy I'm saying sorry at all. I don't apologize for just anyone, Inuyasha."

"So what makes me special?"

"Oh, I don't know, I guess I just think you're too cute to deny." She turned on her computer and began typing into her diary, hoping with all the corners of her soul that her father never read any of it before he died.

"Cute isn't exactly the angle I shoot for."

Kagome shrugged. "You said so yourself, you can't help what you are." She beamed at him and continued typing. "So when are we leaving?"

"You seem eager to leave, Kagome." 

She shrugged. "I'm just wondering when I should have all my stuff ready to go. And I might need a new leather coat…"

"Well I still have all the ones that you looked at before, but if you must be a picky bitch about it I'll buy you a different one."

"I'm not a picky bitch, when am I a picky bitch?"

"Hey, Sango's a picky bitch and that's why I got stuck with all those damn coats. I didn't say you were one, but if you were thinking of being one then I'll buy you a different coat."

Kagome smiled slightly. "Well, that's nice of you, but I'm sure that I did like some of those other coats." She continued typing and Inuyasha, finally getting curious, stood up and sat beside her on the couch to see what she was doing.

Kagome didn't move as she viewed her email box out of curiosity to see if she still got any. Her eyes were wide to discover that she had _hundreds_ of unread email messages, most of them having to do with friends wanting to know if she was alright and junk from all sorts of places. She even had a few from her father. "Holy shit…"

Inuyasha's eyebrows furrowed as he pointed to one of the messages. "Who's that?" He asked carefully. The message was from anonymous and the title was strange, saying 'have they found you out yet, Kagome Higurashi?' To him, the message gave him a funny feeling, and he wasn't sure he liked it. Her curiosity now got the better of her too, and she opened the email to read it.

It read:

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Dear Kagome Higurashi:

My, my, aren't we being the sneaky little bitch? The police are even rash enough to believe that you are dead, although I could beg to differ on that part.

You are very much alive, Higurashi, but you should have died after I clawed out your stomach.

And wherever you and Inuyasha hid this time, it will not be long before you are found and killed. Trust me on that, I have made your death's my goal in life. Kikyo has made hers making you as miserable as humanly possible.

Since you were eluding yesterday we couldn't find you, and I know you are not at the club because Inuyasha didn't use one of his special attacks to attempt to take down all my men. I couldn't hear a single motorcycle in the city after you escaped, meaning that either Inuyasha is a quicker little shit than I thought or you are not even in the city anymore. You might not even be in the state for all I care, but no matter where you are in the country, you had better watch your back.

And another thing…when you leave your room door open, people will see that someone has been in there, like I took the liberty to notice. You should leave it the way it was found if you don't want to get caught, and it would be wise not to drop any more blood on the carpet in your father's room. I see that you even took your time and robbed your father's safe. How very convenient, as you didn't leave anything of value behind.

Start counting down, because the end of your life is slowly coming. I hope you're prepared, as Kikyo is going to rain acid rain on your parade.

Sincerely,

Sesshomaru

Kagome gaped at the screen. "That intolerable bastard! He went into my house!" She prepared to hit the reply button but Inuyasha grabbed her hand and stopped her. 

"Don't email him back, Kagome, he could have technology to locate us through the email system. And if for some reason he was stupid enough to take that to the police, they'd know you were alive and continue searching for you." His voice was his normal tone, but his expression said he'd also love nothing more than to write all the insults he could think of back at his bastard brother.

Kagome relaxed slightly at his touch and leaned back more into the couch. "So you're saying he did this on purpose?"

"Exactly. He thought you would be stupid and reply or intelligent and take it without verbally hurting him back. Save this email to a folder and keep track of it, just in case." She did as she was told and they both went back to the list, Kagome checking off the one's she wanted to read and the ones that she would have to so they weren't deleted. After that little email, though, she was sure she didn't want to read some of the ones from her friends.

"Alright, I'm done." Kagome closed her laptop and put it on the coffee table, standing and walking into the kitchen for a drink. Inuyasha stood and took a short glance at the clock before walking into the bedroom to retrieve his shirt, coat and shoes.

"Want some wine, Inuyasha?" Kagome hollered out.

"You're not going to have more than two glasses, just so you know." He stated, putting his shirt and weapons on. He could hear Kagome's exasperated sigh and smirked.

"As long as I get something to drink, I guess not. Do you want some or not?"

"A glass would do nicely, I suppose." He moved his gun into place and almost rolled his eyes. It was a pain in the ass to be so dangerous and haul around all these weapons all the time. It was so much easier taking them off than putting them back on.

Kagome arrived in the room with his glass as he was putting on his coat and gloves. "In a couple of minutes, maybe we should get back to the club. It's not that I don't like spending time alone with you…" She countered quickly. "It's just that I'm worried about Sango and I want to have a look at her wound."

"It's nothing serious, you know. Just a scrape on the shoulder."

"The only one who could have shot Sango was Rin. You said she was alive, right?" She took a large swig of her wine and sighed deeply. Rin worried her a little.

"Yea, Rin's alive, and Sango and her were at it from a few feet away. They could have blown each other's heads off in an instant if they were careful about it." He tipped his glass into his mouth and drank all the liquid in one swig. He smirked at Kagome's cocked eyebrow. "I love not being able to get drunk."

Kagome crossed her arms and glared at him. "I hate you." She said coldly.

"I'm sure."

"Hurry up and let's go!" She looked down. "Hey, wait, how are we getting back?"

"Gee, Kagome, I was hoping you thought of something."

She glared at him. "You cocky bastard, how are we getting back?"

"My limo's busy at the minute, so Sango and Miroku are going to bring a couple of motorcycles and we're going to ride back. After yesterday's chase, I realized how much I missed riding them and I figured we could do it more often." He set his glass down on the vanity chest and looked at himself in the mirror, running his fingers through his long hair carefully.

Kagome shrugged and chugged the rest of her drink, setting down the glass and sitting on the floor so she could put on her boots. "Just do me a favor and don't kill anybody on our way home today. I don't have a coat that could hide much body figure and witnesses could blab a little too much info to the cops."

"Sango's got coats here. Just take one you like, it's not like she uses them anymore."

Kagome finished putting on her boots and shrugged. "Ok, but if I get bitched at then you take the blame."

"If you get bitched at then tell her to shut the hell up because you're the second and she's only the third."  
Kagome laughed shortly. "Inuyasha, Sango's my friend. I don't like being mean to my friends."

"That's never stopped you before when you argue with me." He stated, turning around and pulling all of the coats out of the closet.

"You're not my friend, you're more than that, and that gives me an excuse to argue with you all the time."

"Hmph." He threw her a coat that looked very similar to the one she had worn before. "Here, this coat looks like yours, maybe Sango won't be able to tell the difference."

"Thanks." He walked over to her coat on the floor and picked it up, taking the guns out of the pockets and everything else on the inside. When he walked back over to her, he helped her stand and put the coat on, then put the guns in the pocket for her.

When she was all ready, she looked like the gangster she had become. She had to admit though that next to Inuyasha, she looked really good. So as she stood there, she turned around and hugged him tightly while he eagerly returned the hold.

His hand wrapped around the small of her back and the other went up to curl around her shoulder and push her head closer to him. She had both arms wrapped tightly around his chest and closed her eyes. "I wasn't happy until I met you, Inuyasha." She stated quietly, and he smiled slightly.

"Yea, same here. I even went softer when you came around." He kissed the top of her head softly and let his ears twitch with the sound of motorcycles outside. He sighed deeply. _Damn it, those two always pick the worst times to show up or call._

Inuyasha pulled her back slightly and gave her a chaste kiss. "The two dipshits are here, so let's get out of here."

She nodded and walked out of his arms into the living room to put away her computer. Inuyasha put his sunglasses on over his eyes and opened the door to Sango and Miroku still on the bikes arguing like no one's business. She was screaming at him and he was trying his hardest not to yell, even though it was obviously not working.

Inuyasha scratched his head until Kagome came outside and joined him. She sighed deeply and handed him her computer so she could walk over there. "Miroku, Sango, knock it off! Act your damn age, not your IQ." That certainly got their attention.

"Kagome, are you alright?" Sango asked quietly.

Kagome raised her arms. "I'm here, aren't I?"

Miroku stared at her. "Were you completely sane yesterday?"

"You mean was I aware of what I was doing?" He nodded and she shrugged. "I knew what I was doing but I wasn't sure why I was doing it."

"Good, then care to tell me how you got out of that apartment and learned Inuyasha's combination?"

Kagome looked around and laughed nervously, as Inuyasha appeared right behind her with the same curiosity on his face. "Shit, what is this, the first degree?"

Inuyasha snorted. "Yes." He stated, and Kagome gave him the 'thanks a lot' look while he just smirked.

"Ok, fine, I watched Inuyasha type in the combination and as soon as I woke up from my dream I got up and grabbed my stuff, then walked over to the door and left. It wasn't hard at all."

They all sat there quietly puzzling that for a moment then shrugged it off. Sango got off her bike and climbed on with Miroku. "Well, let's get back to the club before we are spotted."

"I'm surprised with all that racket you two were creating that a crowd didn't form right beside you on the street." Kagome stated blandly as Inuyasha strapped her laptop down again and climbed on the bike.

"Sango and I had a little disagreement about something."

Kagome muttered "Obviously." Inuyasha just stared at them while she climbed onto his bike and held on tightly. "About?" He suppressed a smile at the feeling of her so close and focused on the question he asked them.

Miroku and Sango blushed considerably and took off on the bike without answering him. Inuyasha snorted and took off after them. "And they say I'm rude, I ask them a question and they avoid it."

Kagome gripped his shoulders tightly. "Perhaps they don't want us to know?" She asked.

"Well of course not, but since they're keeping it a secret I want to know about it."

Kagome smirked and realized something. "Hey, why aren't we wearing helmets?"

"Because dumb and dumber up there forgot them. Don't worry about it, if the cops try to stop us they'll get it."

"But they can recognize me."

"Bury your face in my back, then. If you keep your head away from public no one will see you." Kagome complied and they rode out carefully all the way to the club. After parking in the garage Inuyasha stood and brought Kagome with him. "Come on, let's go."

She grabbed her laptop and followed, managing to catch Sango while Inuyasha and Miroku walked ahead into the club and slammed the door. "Alright, Sango, what were you two arguing about?" She made sure the men were out of the room.

Sango smirked and blushed again. "Trust me, Kagome, you don't want to know."

"You have no idea how much I want to know, now spill it." Kagome stated dangerously.

Sango put a hand on her mouth and avoided Kagome's eyes. "So where did you two end up doing it, in the shower or in the guest bedroom?"  
Kagome gaped at her. "Sango…you were arguing about something like that? WHY!"  
"Because…" Sango nearly broke down into laughter. "Because Inuyasha never turned off the cell phone, he just closed it and threw it on the couch."

To be continued…

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(A/N-The next chapter will take a while to be put up because I'm going on vacation for a while. Please be patient, I was nice enough to post this while I was still at home so you all could have something to read over the weekend. Heh, this is a little weirder than I usually do for this story, but I had to have some humor and the lemon was requested. There you go! I gave it to you!) 

As always, continue reviewing because I love it when I get requests and questions!


	12. Bringing down the witch

Disclaimer-I don't own Inuyasha, but I still know that we all wish we do -_-

Chapter 12-Bringing down the witch

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(A/N-I STILL DO EVERYTHING IN THIS STORY FOR A REASON! DON'T FORGET THAT!)

Kagome was redder than a tomato as she stared shocked at Sango. "I…I…"

Sango smirked and patted Kagome's shoulder. "It's ok, Kagome-chan, Miroku didn't hear much. After he made a comment about Inuyasha throwing the phone down, I knocked him out and sort of listened in. I couldn't help it. But when Miroku woke up, he saw how much I blushed apparently and assumed what had happened, and that's what we argued about."

Kagome couldn't get any redder. "You argued about where we had sex!"

She just smirked and nodded. "I'm sorry, really I am. Inuyasha's phone didn't shut off all the way and until I hung up it stayed connected. After a while of having the phone disconnected I called in like nothing happened."

The young woman looked almost faint. She put a hand on her forehead and looked down. "I need to sit down…"

Sango helped her sit on a large spare tire in the garage and sighed deeply for her friend's misery. "I'm sorry, Kagome, I really am." Her words said one thing but her expression said otherwise.

Therefore, she earned a hard glare from Kagome. "You are enjoying this, aren't you?"  
"I'm sorry, but the look on your face when I told you was priceless."  
"Sango, do you understand how embarrassing that is? That was something that you had no business listening in on in the first place! Not to mention if Inuyasha finds out, he'll probably go ballistic and kill you two."

Sango gaped and almost looked like she was ready to beg. "Kagome, don't tell Inuyasha, please. This sort of thing has never happened before and I don't know how he'll react."

"Privacy is very important to him, Sango, and he told me himself that he would kill if somebody interfered or eavesdropped."  
"Trust me, I believe that."

Kagome sighed. She didn't want to know what Inuyasha would do if he found out. Her reaction was one thing, but his would probably be terrifying and bad for society. What's worse was they left him alone with Miroku just now. 

Uh oh…

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Inuyasha stopped in his tracks while in the middle of the main club-room. Kagome was certainly feeling something weird…if he focused hard enough he could find out what it was, and if it was something stupid he would tease her about it later. He stopped and closed his eyes, focusing everything into her so that he could see what had her so upset.

What he assumed she was thinking of made him extremely nervous…

It seemed Kagome was terribly embarrassed because Sango was explaining something to her. But what exactly was it? It wasn't something that only women talk about, because he could feel that it somehow greatly involved him, and strangely enough…his cell phone.

Once he figured it out, he gulped. Today was _definitely_ not his day…

Miroku turned and tilted his head to the side in observation of Inuyasha. "What's the matter?"

Inuyasha talked through gritted teeth, keeping his claws digging into the palms of his hands. "Monk…" He stated carefully. "Tell me right now what you were talking to Sango about when Kagome and I came out."

Miroku laughed nervously. "Oh, it was nothing, Inuyasha."

"That's a lie, tell me _now _damn it!" If it was what he was thinking then he wasn't sure what he would do. He felt like he was going fall over with a rush of strange emotions.

"Well, what I want to know is what you had to get off the phone for in such a hurry." Miroku had a very confident sound in his voice, and it suddenly irritated Inuyasha to no end.

He caught it, he could sense the truth behind those words. Miroku knew, and he didn't want to get caught because Inuyasha tended to have a temper. But Inuyasha couldn't decide whether he was angry, or completely and utterly embarrassed. Apparently he didn't shut his cell phone off all the way, and _some _people must have overheard more than what was welcomed. A LOT more.

Inuyasha decided to do the thing he was best at. Scare the shit out of the monk to teach him a better lesson. "How much do you know?" His gaze turned dark and Miroku was now the one gulping.

"Inuyasha, I don't…"

"Shove it, what do you know?" He turned to face Miroku and intimidate him to a point where he nearly pissed his pants. The rest of the gang was now watching intently, becoming quiet so they could hear perfectly.

"I don't know anything…that is…"

The next thing the monk knew he was up against the wall with a seething Inuyasha holding him up by his neck. "You son of a bitch! You fucking son of a bitch! I'm going to teach you a lesson that will burn a hole in your backside for the rest of your life!" He continued to growl as his eyes bored holes in Miroku's brain.

Miroku widened his eyes. _WHAT DID I DO? _He couldn't breathe, so in order to get more air he gripped Inuyasha's hands and attempted to pull himself up. For some odd reason, he now feared for his life…and he hadn't said a word.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kagome gaped and swallowed. "Oh crap…" Suddenly her cell phone rang and for a minute she just stared at it to make sure it was hers. After the moment of pondering, she opened it to Shippo's voice. "Kagome?"  
"Yes?"

"Where are you at? Inuyasha's gone ballistic and as far as I know you're the only one who can stop him!"

Kagome widened her eyes. "What's he doing and where is he?" _Stupid, Miroku, very stupid!_

"He's by the bar, and let's just say that Miroku is turning different colors from lack of air at the moment. He'll probably be deaf in a few minutes, too."

"He's that pissed?"

"He's beyond pissed, he's outraged!"

She looked at Sango. "I'm coming, Shippo." Then she hung up and stared at Sango. "It looks like Inuyasha knows and if we don't leave now he'll kill Miroku."

Both girls got up and ran into the club, hoping that Inuyasha wouldn't be ruthless enough to kill his best friend. Who knew how seriously a Hanyou would take something like eavesdropping in on a private moment between him and his mate?

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It was very shocking when they got into the club. Inuyasha was indeed being ruthless as he held Miroku up by his neck pinned against the wall. The monk held onto Inuyasha's hands, but that didn't stop the lack of air and his face was turning a bright purple. The crowd of people around them had clearly backed away enough to stay out of the range of fire, for their leader seemed mad enough to take on the club. He was so mad, in fact, that the deadly silence and lack of verbal abuse was scarier than Sesshomaru's smile. Yep, that's pretty scary.

Kagome and Sango ran over to him with Kagome grabbing his arm, sensing him calm down some but not enough to drop Miroku. "Inuyasha, put him down."

He growled deeply and shook his head. "The hell I will." He squeezed tighter and Miroku let out a surprised yelp that Sango gasped to.

Kagome shook him slightly. "Inuyasha, what would hurting him accomplish here?"

"It would teach him a lesson on eavesdropping, that's for sure."

Kagome sighed and tightened her grip on his arm. "If you kill him then so help me I will never forgive you."

He turned and stared at her his teeth still clenching. "I should kill this bastard, and that bitch over there." He pointed at Sango. "They both apparently need to be taught something."

"Where the hell's your leash? You're acting like a vicious animal to one of your best friends, now put him down!"

Inuyasha growled and turned back to Miroku, giving him a glare that could cause an ice age. Carefully, he set the man on his feet and pulled him so they were nose to nose. "Now get this, if something like that ever happens again then Kagome or no Kagome I WILL kill you. GOT IT?"

Miroku nodded and held his neck tightly. "Yes, Inuyasha."

He turned and glared at Sango. "Especially you, I have never hit a girl but your ass is pushing it."

Sango nodded and spoke with slight fear in her voice. "Of course, Inuyasha."

He took a small glance at Kagome before he turned heal and walked over near the stair case, bending down and jumping up to the second story instead of climbing the stairs. Then he stomped into his office and slammed the door hard enough for a cracking sound to be heard. Kagome winced and held her head down while rubbing her forehead slightly. She had never seen him so angry before, or maybe he was extremely embarrassed at having been caught and didn't like it one bit.

The rest of the club seemed shocked into silence. They looked up at the office door and stared at it like it would eventually do a trick. It was so quiet, not even the rattling of the chains on their belts could be heard. They were still clueless as to why their leader was bent on killing, and they would never know if Kagome got her say in it. Miroku and Sango would definitely not be opening their mouths again about what they had heard.

Kagome huffed and glared at Miroku. "Are you happy now? I have never seen him so pissed."

Miroku looked flabbergasted. "What did I do?" He asked with pure truth. He didn't say a word about knowing anything to Inuyasha, nor did he think he hinted it. He was just plain confused. 

Sango started checking Miroku, and after making sure he was ok she glared at him. "What the hell did you tell him for?! What were you thinking!"

Miroku looked down at the ground. "All I did was ask him about what he needed to get off the phone for, I didn't say anything about knowing, nor did I hint on about it."

"Then how did he know?!" Sango crossed her arms and tapped her foot as she waited for an answer.

He shrugged. "Did you tell Kagome within the past few minutes? If you did, he could have reacted to what she was feeling at the moment."

Sango looked down. "Hmm…I guess I did, and Kagome had to sit down because she was so embarrassed."

Kagome snorted. "I'm right here, don't talk like I'm not."

Miroku shook his head, dismissing her comment. "Anyway, I was just curious as to if he would tell me, and then he started questioning me about how much I knew and before I knew it I was against the wall with him yelling in my ear that what he did with Kagome was none of my business. And believe me, I know that, I'm not that stupid. He was seething, he was so angry, and this time I wasn't being a lecher."

Sango looked at Kagome, who was still staring with curiosity at the ground. "Kagome-chan, could you possibly find out how in the world he guessed, like make sure it was your feelings he was reacting to?"

Kagome snorted. "If you want to find out, go up there and ask him yourself, Sango. I'm not going to make him angrier by bringing it up. In fact, I'm going for a walk. Call me if you need anything." She adjusted her coat on her shoulders and started heading out but Miroku grabbed her arm.

"Kagome-chan, if you leave then Inuyasha will go ballistic again. He'll think you're running away." Miroku didn't sound like he had changed at all, but the rubbing of his neck proved otherwise. If he didn't have a bruise there by tomorrow then Kagome would be amazed.

"If it would make you feel any better, then I want Sango to come with me, ok?"

The monk seemed to consider it before nodding and letting her go. Sango then followed her out the door as they trudged into the streets, slipping their sunglasses on so they weren't so easily recognized.

After a few minutes of walking, Sango had to break the silence. "Kagome, do you have any ideas as to what happened in there?"

She sighed deeply and stared at her feet. "I think that perhaps it's a Miko ability. Inuyasha has always been good with judgment, but that sounded unreal. One of my Miko abilities is that I can sense even the slightest lie. Perhaps something in our bond helped him gain that power and he used it to his advantage, as well as my reactions to you telling me what you had heard."

"But he nearly killed Miroku in the process. That was so scary."

Kagome looked down. "You have no idea…" She stated. _Either that or he was very, very embarrassed and wanted to cover up for it. _"Our bond also allows us to calm one another slightly by touching. The closer we are to each other, the calmer we feel. When I touched Inuyasha, some of his anger calmed and he was able to listen to me and put Miroku down. If I wasn't able to do that then Miroku probably wouldn't be living right now."

Sango watched her feet also as they kicked stones along the street. "He had every right to kill us, under his rules, anyway. We shouldn't have eavesdropped on something so intimate between you two. But that's probably only half of why he was so angry today. Normally he probably would have just punched him once or kicked him or something else besides nearly hanging him."

Kagome cocked an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

She glanced at Kagome. "You studied demons in Japan, right? Tell me what you know about Hanyous."

"Hmm…" Kagome glanced down at the ground and sighed. "Well, they're half and half, of course, so it's only half the power. That means that if Inuyasha had been full demon, people would have bowed down to him. But since he's Hanyou, there'll be times when his powers won't work and he'd be useless. But I haven't seen that in Inuyasha yet."

Sango nodded. "Once a month half-demons loose their demon blood. Inuyasha's time is the new moon, which would be tonight, if you remember correctly. Slowly throughout the day he looses more and more of his power, and then when it turns dark he turns completely human until sunrise. He hates it, and it usually makes him more testy than usual. You know, he gets really easily aggravated and it's not hard for someone to push his buttons."

Kagome widened her eyes and looked down. "But that sort of thing would need to remain a secret so that enemies don't know when's he's vulnerable, so how do you know?"

"I know because Inuyasha had to have somebody to run his club while he went into hiding. He'd stay up in his office and only me and Miroku would be allowed in so that we could continue giving orders to the club."

"I see…" They passed an alley but stopped when they heard a sinister laugh. "What was that?" Sango asked.

"We should probably go and see. Got you're weapons?"

"Duh, Kagome, the rule is to never leave without them." They both took out their guns and entered the alley, the farther they walked down the darker it seemed to get. The laugh got louder and louder, and when they came to the end of the alley they grew nervous. 

Kagome looked around and stood straighter. She was sensing a Miko, and the only explanation stepped out of the shadows, blocking their only exit. "So nice of you to come and see us, Kikyo, it makes hunting your ass down a lot easier." Kagome stated blandly. Sango, however, was reaching into her pocket and preparing to hit the warning button so that Inuyasha could come to their rescue. She wasn't about to let psycho bitch destroy them both.

Kikyo's sadistic laugh rang like a tornado drill in their ears, sending uncomfortable chills down their spines. "Oh yes, how fortunate is my day today that I get to destroy not only the second and third in the gang, but Inuyasha's girlfriend as well. My what a treat."

Sango glanced at Kagome and snarled. "I'm pushing the button."

"Not yet, Sango." Kagome stated. "Inuyasha couldn't do anything anyway. Kikyo is insane and Inuyasha needs the powers of a true Miko to take care of this."

Kikyo crossed her arms tightly and smirked. "Very good, perhaps I underestimated you on your knowledge of the Miko's heritage. That's not going to stop me from destroying you, however. Push that little button Sango, I want Inuyasha to see his mate die before he attempts to kill me."

"Mate?" Apparently, Sango hadn't been listening fully to Miroku's explanation, or just hadn't been paying attention period to Inuyasha and Kagome. She had been totally clueless, and she knew what a mate would mean to Inuyasha. _No way in hell am I not going to push this button now. He'd literally kill me!_

"Of course. That woman there wouldn't have gained all this extraordinary power if she didn't mate to Inuyasha."

Sango snorted. "You'll be wiped off the face of the earth if you dare to mess with what's Inuyasha's."

Kikyo held her hands out. "I beg to differ." Then a strange light green like energy source flew from her hands towards Sango with lightning speed, scaring her enough that she dropped her gun. She didn't know what to do as she stood there waiting for the horrible light to hit her.

Kagome jumped in front of Sango and crossed her arms in an 'X' over her chest and face, making an invisible shield that deflected the energy up and over her and Sango. Kikyo stopped shooting the power and frowned at Kagome. "Quicker than I thought."

Kagome pulled her hands away from her face and pointed at Kikyo. "You leave Sango alone, bitch. This is between you and me."

Kikyo smirked and pulled her hands back behind her as she began forming a ball of energy. "Very well then. It's your funeral." She got into a stance and pushed her hands in front of her, shooting that ball of energy directly towards Kagome.

Kagome, however, forced out her hands and created a beam of purple energy, flowing out and blowing up the ball, causing separate beams of light to flow in different directions. One of the beams scraped the side of Kagome's arm pretty deeply and she winced as she reached up and grabbed it. The wound wasn't terribly big, but it was deep and stung like an acid burn. Kikyo's energy was a force to be reckoned with, and if she weren't careful then today would be the end of her. It was already starting to get to her.

Sango was a little too nervous and pushed the button in her pocket despite Kagome's orders, knowingly alerting Inuyasha to everything that was happening. There was no way in hell that she would let Kagome get hurt and it be her fault, because Inuyasha would not give it second thought to kill her, and she still wasn't ready to die yet. Especially not painfully slow.

Kagome began her own series of attacks; one in particular was a little harder for Kikyo to avoid. Even though it was painful, she forced her arms up in the appropriate stance. The arrows of light were like a regular bow and arrow. She pulled back her hands like she was holding a bow string, energy would take the form of a purple arrow and she'd let it go so it would shoot with incredible force at her opponent. 

Kikyo managed to escape them by swinging her arms at precisely the right time and knocking them away from her, but she seemed to struggle greatly to do so. It was clear that even though Kikyo was stronger, Kagome had a few special attacks up her sleeve. Still, Kikyo was the stronger one in a lot of things, especially shields, meaning that Kagome had to have a lot of things up her sleeve in order to win. 

And Kikyo had yet to be harmed by the new attacks.

Inuyasha, Miroku and many members of the gang showed up and ended up stopping to shield their eyes from the light of Kagome's attack. After a second of adjustment, Inuyasha pulled his arm away and glanced at the sight before him. Kagome was still shooting arrows of many sorts at Kikyo, and she was using different shields to deflect the different arrows in any direction but hers. 

The women were oblivious to everything around them, and when Sango caught glimpse of the rest of the gang she just met their eyes and remained standing where she was. She was too frozen to attempt to move, and everyone else wasn't any better. No one had ever seen two Miko's engaged in a battle to the death, and it was rather impressive.

When Kikyo had seen a moment of pause, she flared up another ball and aimed. When it was released, Kagome dove out of the way and kneeled, placing her hands flatly on the ground. She closed her eyes and both Kikyo and Sango stood there questioning because at first nothing happened. But the ground began to shake and the cement cracked and pulled apart, going in a path towards Kikyo. The woman smirked and stepped aside before the crack hit her, but a bright circle of light shot out of the ground where she had been standing and remained in mid air, as if waiting for the order of Kagome.

Kagome clenched her eyes even tighter as she forced the ball to grow in strength. "Everyone get down!"

Since Sango was right behind her, she did as she was told by getting on her hands and knees and burying her face in her hands. Miroku slowly followed after he sensed the strength of the ball, and everyone else but Inuyasha followed his lead. He remained standing and braced himself because he wanted to see what was about to happen. He knew getting down, unless protecting someone like Kagome, would be showing weakness, no matter how strong the attack. And today was not a day for him to show weakness.

The ball glowed and grew before separate beams burst in many directions, mostly aimed at the other Miko. Inuyasha had to throw his arms up over his face as the force of the blast took him back a few feet. While most of the beams were aimed at Kikyo, some did fly over the gang members, and if they had been standing they would have been hit with the acid burning rays that could take their head off easily.

Kagome stood and clutched her shoulder. Kikyo had been forced on her hands and knees from a blow to the stomach, and she was currently viewing the damage done. She was bleeding, and the wound was burning, but nothing more than that. She smirked and slowly stood. "You put a lot of energy into that little attack, but you didn't kill me, and that's going to be your mistake."

The members that had gotten on the ground were now up on their hands and knees, too wary to stand all the way. Inuyasha was growling, and Kikyo seemed to just then take the time to notice that they were all there. "Ah, perfect." She grinned. "Are you prepared to watch your whore die, Inuyasha?"

He clenched his fists and prepared to take a step forward, but Miroku grabbed his shoulder and whispered urgently into his ear. "Kikyo isn't holding back, Inuyasha. If you go over there, she could kill you and then destroy Kagome when you're not able to do anything about it."

"Well you're stupid if you think I'm going to just sit here and watch, damn it!"

"Inuyasha, no one, not even Sesshomaru, can stand a full blow of a Miko. Only other Mikos have the immunity it takes to make it out alive. This has to be done with Kagome-chan, and Kagome-chan alone."

He growled even louder. He had to heed the words of the monk, he didn't want Kagome to die because he was being foolish or stubborn. _Damn it to hell, what am I going to do?_

Kikyo whipped around and threw a ball of energy at Kagome's feet. She jumped out of the way in time to watch the large explosion that emitted from it. She shook her head. "You'll have to do better than that, bitch!"

Kikyo smirked. "I would watch my tongue if I were you, little Miko. You have lost a great deal of energy, and I still have plenty to give." She threw yet another ball and this time, Kagome had to use her 'X' shield to block it. It wasn't as strong as before due to her lack of energy, but it still managed to deflect the ball away from her.

Finally, Kikyo stood strong and smirked. "I have had enough of this, little Miko. I want you dead and I want it now. This shall be the final move, and only one of us will come out alive, meaning me." Kikyo bent her knees and pushed her hands out with elbows locked in front of her. Kagome almost gasped. _She's going to use her full attack on me! I better counter it and fast! _She copied Kikyo quickly and tried to ignore the stubborn acid burn like pain on her arm. A shield wouldn't be strong enough to hold off the power that was about to be transferred right then and so the only way to do it was to fight back or die.

Inuyasha growled when he noticed what they were about to do. He was instantly worried and looked behind him. "Take aim at that bitch!"

Kagome glared at him. "Bullets aren't going to stop her, damn it!" She shouted, keeping her eyes on Kikyo but her ears on Inuyasha.

He ignored her and continued to tell his gang the orders. "If it gets out of hand and I tell you to, then you shoot at Kikyo and Kikyo only! If one bullet even gets within ten feet of Kagome I'll kill you all!"

Kagome winced again as the pain in her arm increased. Inuyasha winced when he looked back at her, his own machine gun in hand in case. "Fuck…Kagome!"

Kikyo grinned. "Perfect…" She muttered. She turned slightly and stared at Inuyasha. "Say goodnight to your bitch!" Then she shot the constant flow of large, bright energy at Kagome with alarming speed, who in turn copied her so that the energy's met and pushed against each other, forcing each Miko's feet to dig into the ground so they didn't get blown away. The blasts were both wider and taller than the Mikos, and as they increased in power they increased in both size and brightness.

Inuyasha's thoughts were clear as he flexed his claws. He was about to kill Kikyo while she was busy with a swipe of his hand, but Miroku stopped him. "Inuyasha, you can't touch the Miko's! If you do, then a power surge will flow through both the energies and BOTH women will die. Kagome has to do this alone unless she has some special ability allowing you into the ring. I wouldn't count on it, though." He sounded worried, concern masked over his face. He feared that he was about to watch one of his best friends die, and it was not a welcome thought.

Despite his earlier anger at Miroku, Inuyasha heeded his words again. "Shit…" He muttered. _What am I going to do?_

Kikyo pushed her energy even farther into Kagome, forcing her energy back and gaining the upper hand. Kagome cried out and knelt, her energy getting slightly weaker and Kikyo's moving closer to her. She was holding out, but there was only one thing she could do to win, and she wouldn't do it without permission. "Inuyasha, come here!" She screamed.

Inuyasha seemed to disappear as he ran around the power display and got behind Kagome, dropping his machine gun back into his coat and looking as if he would touch her shoulders, but was afraid to. She looked up at him through the corner of her eye, still holding out on her power. "Inuyasha, I need some of your energy." She whispered, knowing that only he would hear.

He nodded and held his hands out while turning his gaze at the energy. He was getting worried again, and worry was not an emotion he dealt well with. Following instructions wasn't something he normally dealt with either, but he would do whatever it took. "What do I do?"

"Grab my waist."

"But Miroku said..."  
"Shut up and do it! I know what I'm doing!"  
Inuyasha sighed, complied and gripped her waist, despite the slight shock that he felt when he latched his hands on. Kagome closed her eyes and seemed to draw from his aura, pulling most of that energy into herself and shoving it out into the power. Inuyasha had to brace his knees because his added energy was forcing them back more, so he would be the foundation so Kagome could continue pulling from him. He saw that she was taking energy from his hands and forced most of his energy into them so that Kagome would take larger amounts. It worked like a charm.

Kikyo started to worry when Kagome's energy became more powerful and started coming back at her with an alarming speed. Her eyes were terrified when the energy almost engulfed her. "NO! You're not supposed to win!" She screamed a blood-curdling scream as the energy engulfed her, and when Kikyo's energy flow stopped, Kagome stopped hers as well and held her arm, gasping for air while Inuyasha's hands tightened on her waist. When she looked up, she noted that Kikyo was gone, engulfed because of her stubborn stupidity.

Kagome dropped to her hands and knees and hung her head while Inuyasha got down beside her, gripping her shoulders. "Are you alright?"

She nodded. "I'm…just tired." She panted slightly and looked at Inuyasha with a small smile. She laughed with exhaustion. "We won." She said before fainting, but Inuyasha caught and cradled her against his chest. He took her pulse and sighed with relief, kissing her forehead as she rested. He placed his hand over the scrape on her shoulder and applied pressure to stop the bleeding, looking around and viewing the sight and trying to process exactly what had happened.

The gang stood there shocked at what they had seen. Even Miroku seemed completely appalled, and he knew of a Miko's strength. "That was truly amazing…" he whispered. After all the trouble that Kikyo had caused them, after everything she had done that would have gotten her killed if she was a normal human, she was finally gone. Kagome had shocked everyone there with her abilities. Kikyo may have been the stronger Miko, but Kagome was indeed the smarter one.

Inuyasha lifted her after a minute and glanced at Sango. "Are you alright?"

She nodded and stared at Kagome. "Yea, Kagome's the one you have to check. I wasn't able to do anything with this fight, so I pushed the button even though Kagome told me not to."

He nodded and looked down at her. "You did a good thing. She wouldn't have been able to stop that bitch unless she had someone with energy like me or possibly the monk." He glanced around at everyone else and held Kagome tighter. "Keep your eyes out for Fluffy. Now that we've eliminated one threat, he's going to become even more of one." He glanced down at Kagome again. "And it appears as though we have a secret weapon."

Miroku picked up a piece of metal near where Kikyo was destroyed and observed it carefully. "Inuyasha, what's this?"

Inuyasha stared at it and became silent with his thought. He had a few of those; they were tracking devices that were permanently strapped to the wrist of the person that needed it. He had taken a few people prisoner in his day, and they were quite handy because they never came off. You couldn't melt them or anything, so they stayed on the wrist and continued working. It still had a blinking light on it, which indicated that Sesshomaru knew where Kikyo was, or at least had been, at the moment. "Miroku, get rid of it."

Sango smirked. "Hey wait, Inuyasha, let's throw it in the river." She knew what it was, too, and she wanted to have a little fun.  
"Throw it in the river?"

"Yea, that way Fluffy thinks that Kikyo drowned in the river and he'd go through all that trouble to dig it up. If we leave it here or destroy it, he'll come after us anyway, so why not have a little fun?"

"Because that'll just piss him off and make him angrier." He smirked after a minute, liking the sound of that. He'd always be one to yank his brother's chain. "Ok, let's throw it in the river. Sango, I'll leave you in charge of that. Make sure you're not followed, though."

She nodded. "Right." She took it from Miroku and twisted it in her hand. "Can I take one of your motorcycles? We hadn't ridden them in a while until you had to chase Kagome, and frankly, I missed it."

"I don't care, but if you crash it, I'll hurt you."

She grinned. "Got it." Then she took off into the garage so she could enjoy herself on a rare ride through the city.

Miroku glanced at Kagome's wound that Inuyasha still covered with his hand. "Inuyasha, you might want to take off her coat for that, don't you think?"

"I think I know what I'm doing, monk. I'm not taking her coat off out here in front of all you people." He stated. Kagome was still wearing just a spaghetti strap underneath the coat, and he didn't want everyone to see any of her skin, especially the bite mark on her shoulder because that would bring up unwanted questions. 

He shifted Kagome closer to him and grabbed his cell phone, dialing Shippo's number. "Hey Shippo, go up to my office and lay out some bandages and ointment, you know all that medical shit. I want it all on my desk in a few minutes."

"Sure Inuyasha."

He made sure to actually hang up the phone this time and put it back on his belt. He looked around and then stared at his comrades. "You guys make sure that there's nothing here the police will find. And Kagome's Miko abilities are to remain a secret within this club or I'll be forced to kill you, got it? She's still the best thing that has ever happened to us." Then after hearing the agreement from the group, he started walking her back to the club with Miroku following closely behind.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kouga was running as fast as his legs could carry him back to Sesshomaru's club. He had followed Kikyo by order of his new boss and saw everything that happened up until she died. After that, he high tailed it for fear of being caught and Kagome using her power on him. He had never seen Mikos use power like that out in the open, and he was sure that it was a one in a billion thing that only a handful of people would ever see.

It fascinated him. Up until today he thought Kagome was just a really strong human woman. But now, after all he had seen, he was more convinced than ever that Sesshomaru shouldn't try to kill her, but find a way to use her to his advantage. After all, Kouga was a bastard, but he didn't want Kagome to die. No, he had plans for her…

Now all he would have to do is get Sesshomaru to agree with him after explaining everything. He planned on having revenge on Inuyasha soon, and he hoped to be rewarded with a second position in the gang since now that Kikyo was gone, it was empty.

Ah yes, the bastard that he was, he would never give up a chance to get revenge on Inuyasha. Even if Kagome was his mate, if she wasn't in his sight then he couldn't stop Kouga from having his way with her. That is, if she didn't kill him first. Something that she should be watched for were her hands. She packed quite the punch already without using her powers. Controlling Kagome would not be an easy task, but it could be done, even though Inuyasha had already mastered it without physical force that he knew.

Now all he had to do was butter up to Sesshomaru and hopefully get his way. He would beg and plead and force Fluffy dearest to at least consider his side, because like the bastard brown-noser he was, that was all he knew how to do. (A/N-Did I mention that Kouga's a bastard?)

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Miroku stood up in Inuyasha's office, observing him as he carefully wrapped Kagome's wound in a bandage while she lay upon a conveniently placed futon near his desk chair. He didn't bother healing it, as his powers were already starting to slowly leave him and it would take more of what was left of his Hanyou energy to heal her. He had to be a Hanyou in order for it to work, and that was the plan's only flaw. Even though he really wanted to free her of the pain of humanity, he would have to hold his powers until dark, when he usually gave the managing jobs to Sango and Miroku. He still walked around until darkness, that way no one would suspect a thing in his gang. But right before the sun set he locked his office door so that his human form wouldn't be seen. He hated being selfish, but he would have to do it, because that's how he had always done it.

Miroku silently observed the bite mark on her shoulder. When Inuyasha hadn't objected, he got a closer look at it but took great care not to touch it. He had made it a mental note to never touch what belonged to Inuyasha. "Well, this is impressive. She didn't act like that bothered her at all today."

Inuyasha sighed. "That's because it didn't, genius." He moved her arm around to see the mobility the bandage allowed and settled her hand down on her stomach.

"Well I may be overstepping my boundaries, but why wouldn't the mark hurt her? I mean, it's a bite, it should sting like hell."

"It's a symbol, monk, it hurt when I gave it to her but our bond keeps it from hurting otherwise." He sounded a little agitated. He didn't like to explain things that had to do with his or Kagome's personal life. Missions he enjoyed explaining because he could threaten to make sure that everything was done exactly the way he wanted it to be.

"Is it permanent?"

"Yes. Now what else do you want to know while I'm being generous and answering all of your questions?"

"Actually, I wonder what you think her reaction to tonight's occurrence will be."

"She has studied demons and Hanyou's in Japan, she's probably wondering _why_ it hasn't happened yet. She'll be staying up here with me tonight since I can't protect her normally and allow her to walk around the club. You and Sango will be managing like always."

"She'll be asleep for a little while, Inuyasha. Even if she channeled your energy into that blast and destroyed Kikyo, she used up all of her's doing so. A process like that is very draining, in fact I'm surprised that she was still going for as long as she was."

"I know that." Inuyasha removed his gloves and proceeded to remove any weapons that Kagome was wearing so that she slept comfortably without something digging into her hip or stomach.

Miroku looked down at the ground. _Kagome-chan is sleeping now; I have to be careful of what I say. _"Inuyasha…"

"What?" He gave the man his full attention, ears on him and everything.

"Why did you let Kagome stop you? Why didn't you just kill me?"

Inuyasha stared at him before growling softly and looking down at her. "Two reasons; one, it was partially my own damn fault, and two, I couldn't live with myself if Kagome never spoke to me again. It seems that you are one of her best friends and I decided not to kill you despite my driving urges." He stated quietly.

Miroku sat down in the leather chair. "You know, I didn't actually eavesdrop, and Sango didn't either. In fact, I heard nothing at all. Sango claimed she listened only until she figured out what the noises were and then she hung up. We never meant to listen in on something like that."

He growled. "Yea, well when I say bye that kinda means that I'm done talking to you and that you should hang up your phone. Judging by the blush on Kagome's face when she had walked into the club, Sango had talked to her about it and she nearly died of embarrassment or anger, I'm not sure which."

"Well, even you have to admit that it's a little funny, Inuyasha. I mean, you had thought you hung up the phone, after all."

He snorted. _So he wants to know something funny, eh?_ "I don't have to admit to anything. That was none of your business, even if you could hear everything clear as a bell. I'm sure I never told you and Sango to shut the hell up when you had sex in her apartment."

Miroku face faulted. "You…you could hear us?"

"Every time. I just minded my own business and kept to myself. You know before Kagome came along you were up to doing it at least four times a week and my head felt like it would explode. With my hearing it was torturous, I can't imagine someone like Shippo in the apartment below you." When the monk looked a little pale, Inuyasha smirked at his well-won victory. _Oh yes, paybacks are always a bitch._

Miroku nodded. "You're right, we shouldn't make a big deal out of this. But if it annoyed you that much, why didn't you say something?"

"Who am I to intrude on someone else's business? I wasn't about to tell you that I could hear you because frankly, I didn't want Sango's evil personality wailing on me claiming it was none of my business. Although instead of killing you two, I should have brought up those events instead. If you two had kept your mouth's shut, though, none of this would have ever happened."

"I will never, _ever_ do this again, Inuyasha. Hell, I'll probably keep away from Sango for a little while, too."

"That's good, Miroku, that's good." Inuyasha kept the smirk on his face as Miroku looked very uncomfortable. Inuyasha scored a major point and won this argument. Now they both shouldn't have any problems for a while.

"Say, Inuyasha…" He asked after a minute. 

Inuyasha had been enlightened and smiled at his friend. "Yea?"

"The women will never hear about this, ok?"

"Psh, what do you think I am, stupid? Sango'd maul us both. Although I'm sure Kagome would find it amusing…" 

Miroku laughed shortly and glanced out the window. The sun was slowly setting, and Inuyasha was laughing? _Boy, we should talk like this more often on days of the new moon._ "So, Inuyasha, what will you do tonight?"

He sighed and shrugged. "I figure I just as well play with my weapons a little while watching Kagome. No need to waste this night of privacy. I haven't gotten to actually use my weapons in a while anyway."

Miroku smirked and stood just as the sun got closer to the horizon. "I'll be off then. Perhaps you could tell me when Kagome awakens? I'd like to ask her a question or two, if you don't mind, that is."

"I _might_ let you know when she feels up to it. Go to work." He gazed out the window at the setting sun and listened as Miroku left him. He hated it when people could see him change. He never knew why, exactly, but it made him uneasy.

He glanced back at Kagome and then removed his glove, watching his hand carefully. At the precise moment that the sun became invisible over the horizon, his hands changed to that of a human in a blink of an eye. He could feel the other changes, as well. His ears were now human, at the side of his head, his canines weren't fangs any longer and his hair wasn't silver. The thing he could feel the most, and he was never certain why, was that his eyes were no longer the piercing amber-gold color, but now a shocking violet that was completely rare in humans as it was. They made his vision a little less sharp, but they were still stunning and it was the only feature he truly liked about being human. He still got to be unique while looking like everyone else.

His shocking appearance as a Hanyou was the thing that frightened people the most. If they ever saw his human form, they would think of him as a kind, warm-hearted person just by first glance. He was never fully that, but he was never a pure ice-hearted person either, and Kagome was his proof of that. Inuyasha had never opened up to anyone before her after his mother died, and she had seemed to change him for the better. His killing streaks wouldn't leave him completely. It was in his blood, the demon inside that would have him do the things he did, but now he was capable of showing compassion and understanding, and love.

Inuyasha propped his feet up on his desk and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath through his nose and blowing it out his mouth. Sooner or later he would probably go into his apartment complex so that someone wouldn't storm in on accident, but he was just too drained to get up at the moment. He mentally cursed his human side. He never knew all of the feelings or what they meant, all he knew was that he wasn't sure he liked them much and didn't know how Kagome could stand it.

He turned his attention to the futon. Kagome scrunched her eyebrows and turned slightly towards the pain, moving her arm to grasp the wound before jerking it back and opening her eyes. She eyed the bandaged wound and frowned. "That stupid bitch." She muttered.

"You killed that stupid bitch, Kagome. You wiped her right off the face of the earth."

She smiled and turned her attention to him, never gasping or looking surprised at all by his new appearance. "Yea, I know, but this thing will hurt for a while. It's like getting an acid burn that keeps burning and burning, and there's nothing that you can do until you heal it."

"I'll heal it for you when I change back. I would now, but as you can see, I'm not able to."

Kagome sat up, swung her legs off the side of the futon and stood, walking over to squat in front of his chair and look directly up into his face. She studied him for a minute and then shrugged. "You're still just Inuyasha."

He looked at his hand, missing his claws. "Yea, human Inuyasha. I'm better at being Hanyou."

"You're better at being yourself, Inuyasha. And that's all you are. I would always be able to tell you apart from a crowd."

He smirked and shrugged, setting his feet back down on the floor. "It'd be hard not to as I'd be the only person ripping out weapons all the time and threatening people that get too close to me. But then again, the human side of me can get caught and put in jail by the police without having to be bound by hundreds of chains."

She smiled at him and crossed her arms over his lap, resting her head on them. "So what do you do, hang out in your office until sunrise?"

"Basically. The only other people who know are Sango and Miroku, and that's because they have to run the club for me while I'm hiding up here. If word gets out that I turn human once a month then I could have assassins after me every time the new moon came around. Or worse, after you, because they'd know it would be harder to protect you."

She smiled. "You worry about me too much."

Inuyasha ran his hand through her bangs and sighed. "You're the only person I want to worry about. That's not going to change."

"Yea, I know." She turned her head so that her cheek rested on her arms and she sighed. "Thanks for giving me some of the only energy you had left, Inuyasha. I would have never been able to defeat her without it."

He snorted. "I know that. What's this I hear about you telling Sango _not _to call me?"

She raised her head and stared at him. "You seemed angry, I didn't want to add to that by making you worry yourself over something that I thought you couldn't help me with. I mean Kikyo was a Miko, and if you alone tried to stop her you would have died, and with all the anger you seemed to have I thought maybe you would do something…well…stupid and get yourself killed."

Inuyasha's eyes softened slightly. "I seemed angry, huh?"

"Beyond that, I don't even know what you would call it."

He sighed. "I wasn't mad at you. I couldn't be mad at you."

She shrugged. "Still, I figured you wanted to be alone and so Sango and I took a walk. Miroku wouldn't let me leave alone."

"Well it's a damn good thing that he didn't. I'll have to thank him later." He looked down before looking back at her. "I almost killed him because I was so mad, demons take eavesdropping very seriously, especially with that sort of thing. But I got even without causing physical harm." He smirked and rubbed Kagome's cheek.

"Well don't keep me waiting, what did you do to him?"

"Don't tell him I told you this, but I brought up the fact that I've known about every single time they had sex and I told him I didn't bring it up because I didn't want Sango to wail on me. He turned many colors and informed me that it was in fact none of his business and that if he kept his mouth shut none of this would have ever happened and he would have had a better chance of not dying."

Kagome smirked. "Hmm…I wonder what Sango would do if she heard that from you."

"Well since she did it too, I'm figuring that she wouldn't have tried to kill me or anything. She'd probably just turn red and stutter like an idiot for a while. By the way…" He eyed her carefully. "Why were you blushing when you entered the club? Did Sango give in and tell you what she had heard?"

Kagome looked a little beaten and pulled away to sit with her knees in the air and her arms on her knees. "Yea, I forced her to tell me and then regretted asking. I was stunned, to say in the least."

"Well I figured out what I did wrong. I just didn't close it all the way. It's supposed to shut off when I close it." He played with a small lock of his black hair and observed it carefully between his fingers. "Would you have really hated me if I hadn't listened and killed Miroku?" He asked quietly.

Kagome looked up at him. "The question is, Inuyasha dear, would you have hated yourself?"

He sighed. "Probably. Even if he is an ass, he's one of my best friends, too."

"Exactly. I didn't want you to do something you would regret. He told me that he didn't even hear anything, that Sango was the one who did everything."

"Yea, I know that now, too. But what you all have to understand is that there's like two sides of me, and my demon side does not tolerate something like that at all. It's like it takes over, and until you touched me, I wouldn't have heard anything else."

She stood and rolled her arm to loosen her shoulder. "Kind of like multiple personality, where as if you where whole demon like Sesshomaru, all you would hear is the demon."

"Exactly, and if that were the case, I wouldn't have listened to you no matter what." He opened his coat and pulled out the box strapped on his belt. He opened it to reveal about ten throwing knives and grabbed one by the hilt, aiming at the board near his door and throwing it to hit with near perfect accuracy. Even human he was pretty skilled with his weapons.

Kagome observed his work. "You're not that different."

"In Hanyou form, I wouldn't have missed the bulls-eye. That's one advantage to my eyesight." He threw another knife and hit very close to the other one, but still didn't hit the bulls-eye.

"It's still pretty good. If it were a person you would have hit." She eyed her coat that was lying on his desk. "Great, now I need another coat."

"I swear you go through coats faster than I go through wine. You're going to have to stop bleeding and fighting if you expect me to keep giving you coats."

She snorted. "I'm sorry, I'm only human." 

"You're one unique human then. You'd be a Miko with a mated bond to a half-demon and a much longer life-expectancy. You're hard to kill now, too. What regular human can say the same about themselves?"

Kagome widened her eyes. She shook her head. "I suppose I don't have a clue." She shrugged it off as Inuyasha continued throwing his knives. She began to slowly unwrap her bandage and Inuyasha glared at her.

"Hey, I spent time putting that thing on, you leave it there until I can help heal it again."

She rolled her eyes and sighed, putting it back into place. "I swear, sometimes you're worse than my mother."

"That's my job, I can't help it."

"You can too, you just don't want to stop because you know it irritates the hell out of me."

He chuckled to himself and threw another knife. "Yea, that too. I love frustrating you and I have since the day I met you."

"What I don't get is why. Why do you always pick on me just to see me mad?"

"It's probably because you're pretty when you're angry and when I'm Hanyou your scent spikes."

She crossed her arms and cocked an eyebrow. "_Spikes_? Spikes how?"

"I don't know, it becomes stronger…and why the hell are you asking me this? I'm I guy, that's all the explanation you should need."  
She rolled her eyes. "Ah, yes, another arrogant, egotistical male that his head grows ten times the normal size when his ego is showing."

Inuyasha glanced at her. "I'd watch it, woman, just because I'm human doesn't mean I can't pin you to the ground in a wrestling match."

Kagome huffed. "You wouldn't though, cause I've got an injury and if you're going to act like a motherly figure then you wouldn't want to do anything that might hurt my little scrape." 

He grinned at her. "You're quite right, sweetie, I wouldn't want to do anything to hurt you."  
She considered throwing something at him but resisted the urge. "See, you're at it again, trying to irritate me by calling me that stupid nickname!"  
He started laughing. "This is priceless!"  
Kagome pointed at him in a weak attempt to stop his laughter. "Stop laughing! Hey! That's not funny!"

Inuyasha was wiping tears from his eyes when he calmed down. "I beg to differ, it's hilarious seeing you get so irritated."

She huffed. "You're just a irritating teddy bear. I hate you."

"No you don't, who could hate a teddy bear?"

Kagome raised her eyebrow. "I could start naming off a list."

He was about to retort, but a knock on the door interrupted them. Inuyasha sighed. "Who is it?"

"Miroku and Sango, Inuyasha. Can we come in?"

"Whatever." The two walked in and Miroku smiled cheerfully when the door closed behind them. "We figured Kagome-chan was awake by the sound of it downstairs. How do you feel, Kagome?"

"I'm fine, Miroku. Why are you asking, I'm obviously ok."

"Because if we don't make sure you're ok before we start talking to you, Inuyasha will have a fit." A snort was the reply from his boss, and Inuyasha continued throwing knives at the door.

"Oh, just ignore mommy dearest, she'll be playing her own little game and staying out of our way." She stated dripping with sarcasm and Inuyasha flipped her off while never taking his face away from the game. Kagome smiled in content and sat down on the leather chair to wait for Miroku's questions.

"Well, Kagome, you didn't get very much sleep. Aren't you tired?"

She shook her head. "Nope, I feel as good as ever, except for the parting gift that she left me. Of course, with Inuyasha's help it should be gone tomorrow."

"What makes you think I'm going to be nice to you now?" He stated as he threw his last knife, and then stood to retrieve them all. "Don't think I don't know what you're all doing, you're just getting in your comments while I'm human and I can't do much about it. But you wait, paybacks are hell, remember Miroku?"

He nodded and looked down. "Yes, yes, you're point has been taken, boss."

"That's more like it." He sat back down and continued throwing knives until he was out, then he sat there looking bored because he didn't feel like getting up again. Yes, the human Inuyasha was a little lazy.

Sango eyed the bandage. "Well you acted like that scrape really hurt. What does a Miko beam do to you?"

Kagome's face twisted as she thought about it. "Well, some Mikos have beams that cut like a knife, others that can completely burn off your skin, and some just dissolve whatever gets in the way. Kikyo's both cut and stung like acid, like a blade with poison attached to it."

Sango winced. "Wow, and you stood it?"  
"Well it helps that I'm a Miko. I have some immunity to that sort of thing. If she had done the same to your shoulder, she could have burned your arm off." That caused her friend to cringe, but Kagome just beamed.

Miroku sighed. "The rest of the club wants to know if she's alright. What do we tell them?"

"Tell them that she's still asleep." Inuyasha stated, getting a little possessive again.

Kagome stood and yawned, then crossed her arms tightly over her chest. "How come, Inuyasha?"

"Because I don't want them to come and see you, or ask about you or anything else."

"Well they're just curious."

"They can be as curious as they want, just as long as they don't try to come and see you." 

Miroku sighed. "Well after what happened I don't blame everyone for wanting to know how she is."

Inuyasha growled, which hadn't changed much even though he was human. He reached forward and grabbed Kagome's waist, pulling her back and sitting her between his legs in the chair. Then he wrapped his human arms around her and leaned his head on her shoulder, feeling so much more relieved now that he held her. She was his Kagome, HIS, and no one else needed to worry about her. Nope, as far as he was concerned he was the only one who even had the right to. 

Sango smiled. "I don't think Inuyasha changes much when he's human."

Miroku shook his head. "Nope."  
Kagome rested her arms on his and relaxed. It almost seemed like he was hugging her for comfort, or maybe to relieve some stress, but she didn't really mind. In either form he was protective of her, possessive even, and she wasn't going to deny him the slightest of comfort if he wanted to hold her.

Inuyasha pressed his face into her back and closed his eyes. She scared him so much sometimes. After he had talked to Miroku he had forgotten all about the fact that Kagome almost died out there, probably because she made it out with a minor wound and had been resting on the futon by his desk. But he was so scared that he would have lost her, and once he remembered exactly what had happened he just had to hold her, more to relax himself than anything. And by now, she knew it, too.

The scariest part about it all was that he couldn't have done much of anything, especially today because by then he had already lost a good deal of his power. The only thing he could do was give her some of the last parts of his energy so that she could kill Kikyo herself. He couldn't bear the thought of not being able to protect her, but that she had to protect herself this time.

Yet, (sigh) he still had the pride of a demon, and he wasn't about to express worry and fear in front of everyone here. Holding her would be enough to satisfy him for now because the last thing he needed to do was show weakness in front of his colleagues. The only person who would know what he was thinking was Kagome, and she'd definitely never tell. He growled softly so that only she could hear and she grabbed his hand and gave it a tight squeeze. Yep, she knew exactly what he was thinking, and she didn't like the fact that she scared him either.

He then realized that Miroku had been talking and neither of them had heard a word of it because they were paying too much attention to each other. In fact at the moment, Miroku was grinning his stupid head off at them. "Inuyasha, did you hear me? How about you, Kagome?"

Inuyasha growled louder this time and rested his chin on her shoulder so he could glare at Miroku. "Just shut up and talk, monk."

Sango smacked the back of Miroku's head. "You aren't very smart, are you?"

"Sorry, but I couldn't help it."  
"Just keep your mouth shut, baka. He's human, but he can still kill you."

Miroku smiled innocently. "Why Sango, I just thought it was sweet that they were too absorbed in each other to hear what I was saying."

Sango rolled her eyes and glanced at Kagome, viewing the bite mark and squinting so she could get a better look at it. "Wow, doesn't that hurt, Kagome?"

Kagome reached up and poked at it, then shrugged. "No, not really."

"It looks like it should."

Inuyasha groaned as he became impatient. "Alright, that's it, I'm sick of all the damn questions! Miroku just got done asking those exact same questions a half an hour ago, so listen up because I'm not repeating myself. No, the bite doesn't hurt because of the bond, no it's not going to heal like everything else that she gets because it's a symbol and it's not supposed to. And yes, she's my mate now and it's a permanent arrangement, now is there anything else you want to know?!"

Sango shot a nervous glance at Miroku and shook her head. "Naw, that about covers it."

"Good." He sighed with an exasperated sound and pulled Kagome even closer, if that was possible. "I hope that Shippo's still keeping a good watch on the security system downstairs, cause Fluffy is going to be pissed when he figures out his main power source has disintegrated." He stated, changing the subject.

Sango suddenly turned ghost white. Inuyasha didn't have to be Hanyou to know that something was wrong. "Sango, what is it?"

She stood and ran out of his office, down the stairs. Inuyasha growled because he wanted to go after her and figure out what she was so worried about, but he did the next best thing. "Miroku, go see what's wrong, and then tell me."

Miroku nodded and followed her out the door, Kagome growing slightly nervous. _Speaking of Shippo, where the hell did he go when Inuyasha had followed me to where Kikyo was? I didn't see him anywhere._ Inuyasha gripped her waist even tighter and rubbed his face in her hair. "I think that's why she turned white." He answered her. Kagome was still amazed that she didn't have to open her mouth to ask a question, but she nodded in understanding. Something wasn't right and now she found herself worrying for Shippo's well being. Being second in command did have its downfalls.

She turned slightly and looked behind her. "So then we don't know where Shippo is?"

He nodded, and she could feel the knot in her stomach tighten, meaning that Inuyasha was getting a little nervous himself. "Hai, Sango knows something, but we don't and we want to find out. Apparently he's not watching the security, and that pisses me off because that means no one is watching."

"So in other words, since we don't know where he is, we're in trouble, right?"

"Yea, bigger than you know. I'm not Hanyou right now and if something happens I can't do anything to stop it. While Sango and Miroku look for him, someone could pull a big stunt and that would be the end of our gang."

Miroku suddenly burst into the room and inhaled deeply to give Inuyasha some news. "It seems it's just as bad as we thought. Shippo has been abducted, but this time it's not Fluffy."

Inuyasha growled. "Then who is it?"

Miroku handed him a piece of paper that had one big word in blood red across the paper. The word was 'SLY', and even though it sounded stupid, it was the calling card of another of Inuyasha's enemies. Apparently he was back in town. "Fuck…"

"That was found in Shippo's chair. He was taken when everyone rushed out to Kagome's rescue because he was here before we left. It seems now that you have yet another person to worry about, eh?"

He started rubbing his eyes as if it would help relieve more stress. Naraku, another demon gang leader in New York, had never been a big problem of Inuyasha's. Of course, he had never pulled a stunt like this either, and he always did everything he did for a reason. He was allusive, clever, and very organized in the way he did everything, meaning that him taking Shippo served an ultimate purpose that would only bend to his liking. Only Naraku could be clever enough to get Shippo without him sounding an alarm or fighting back, and so this had to have been planned out for a while so that it was exactly right. He may not have known about the whole Miko war, but he knew that Inuyasha would have to leave him alone sooner or later.

Naraku, like Inuyasha and Sesshomaru, never worked in alliance with another gang. He did everything for himself, and if the time called for it he would betray members of his own gang to escape and live or get his way. Out of the three, Inuyasha was the fairest of all because he always tried to fight along side his faithful members, but he was also the most ruthless and would kill for even one mistake that could have been helped. Sesshomaru probably managed money the best of the three and did tremendous ambushes that usually left no survivors (when he wasn't dealing with Inuyasha's gang, that is). Naraku had to be the evilest, and now that he wanted something, Inuyasha's stomach twisted and turned with anticipation to find out what it was before it was too late.

Kagome sighed deeply. "That's just great, Naraku the spider demon has kidnapped Shippo from this gang and is going to be pulling some huge stunt like I've read in the books."

Miroku stared at her. "You see a pattern?"

"Hai, it seems to me that all the gang leaders in New York are demons, or something to that effect. Sesshomaru is the only one that isn't known about and doesn't have a short biography written on himself. But as I recall, Naraku is very sly and is rather cowardly, so he stays away from something that he doesn't really have to be involved in. He doesn't like to mess with the gangs, either, so him taking something from Inuyasha means that he wants something and he has had time to plan it out because he actually took action."

Miroku nodded and glanced at Inuyasha. "What do we do? We have never had to deal with him before."

Inuyasha looked straight ahead, seeming to not see anyone in the room. "We have to wait and find out what he's plotting first. We're not going to find out anything if we try, so we have to wait for him to tell us himself. And I can't move my human ass out of this office until daybreak, so Kagome is staying with me until then." He looked to be planning, but his grip on Kagome didn't loosen.

Miroku nodded and walked out of the room to tell the nearly hysterical Sango what the orders were. Kagome sighed deeply and leaned back into Inuyasha's hold. It seemed that being in a gang wasn't as fun as it had always seemed to be from when she had read all the books on the gangs of New York.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(A/N-I got a little sappy there for a moment, but I've been in a camper all weekend with nothing else to do, so I had to make something a little weirder than usual. I know there are going to be some questions, so I will let you all know right now that I have decided to make it a little more difficult for the gang and give them more trouble (AKA Naraku). But think of it this way, at least I killed off Kikyo, because let's face it, I didn't want her in the story anymore either. And no, I don't like Naraku, but I had to put him in for now. Adding him causes more problems and that will help me string the story out just a little longer. I didn't want to end it so soon. Hehe, and I had to make this chapter a cliffy, sorry, I hate them too, but it would have been too long if I kept going!

Thanks for the reviews and please keep it up! If you have any questions, feel free to ask me in the reviews and I'll answer them on the next chapter!)


	13. A New Fugitive

DISCLAIMER-I don't own Inuyasha.

(A/N-Thank you for the reviews, and once again I remind you to stay with me. I'm sorry it took a little longer than usual to update, but I had a few things to take care off. I still do everything I do for a reason, so please don't hate me for anything!)

Chapter 13-Another fugitive

It had been a long night so far as the silence continued to drive her nuts. Kagome sat on the leather couch in Inuyasha's apartment with her laptop in her lap, typing more information into her diary while they waited for Miroku to return with news or for Inuyasha to turn Hanyou again. She wasn't exactly having fun, either.

She had never felt so tense in Inuyasha's presence since he had first scared her to death when he grabbed her off the streets. It was definitely not a welcome feeling. The human form of Inuyasha sat as unmannerly in his chair as humanly possible with his own laptop in his lap, but his typing was more urgent as he focused on his work. His eyes hadn't left the screen as soon as the computer was on, and he was so quiet it seemed that he didn't even breathe. The only noise that was made was the urgent typing of keyboards and her occasional sigh.

It made Kagome upset to see him so worried, and since she knew that he would feel every feeling she was feeling, she decided not to try to hide it. "Calm down, Inuyasha, you're making me nervous. Nothing bad will happen to Shippo."

He was quiet for a moment before glancing at her. "Apparently, you _or _your books don't know Naraku." Then he turned back to the screen and started his typing again. He was emailing certain trustworthy people across the city to see if anyone knew of Naraku's whereabouts. Seeing as every email that was sent back to him said that nobody even knew he was back in town, he almost punched the screen of the computer. And he might have, too, if Kagome wasn't around.

Kagome had resisted the urge to yell at him. Sure, this was worth an argument, and he was probably waiting for it because it was so familiar to both of them that it was relaxing. Her not answering with any acknowledgement of even hearing him would drive him up the wall, and in theory, force him to calm down.

As she had thought, he shut his computer after a moment and stared at her. "All right, that's it, you've made your point. I can't find anyone who even knew he was back anyway." He sat the laptop on the floor, crossed his arms and slumped down more into the chair as if sinking into himself. Shippo was his friend, and had been there longer than anyone else for him. Inuyasha and Shippo weren't human, and Kagome's guess was that they had been friends for as long as they had lived, and for all she knew that could have been two hundred years.

Kagome sighed. "The books didn't lie about you at all." She stated quietly, carefully closing her own laptop and putting it on the floor.

"Keh, books are just junk, nothing but page after page of horribly exaggerated _crap_. They can't teach you anything about real life and they definitely can't tell you everything about a person." The agitation in his voice was clearly evident. Not having much strength to argue to the extent that she would have loved to, though, she let it slide and stared at her hands.

"Books are usually filled with people's thoughts, even textbooks can be exaggerated, but what in this world isn't nowadays? I found comfort in books because they told me that other people thought like me, and reading about something I liked was what I did to feel better. Everything that book had said about you was true, because I have seen it for myself."

"But you _haven't _seen him yet, and you're not ever going to, either. He is a dirty, filthy, tricky bastard that has something he wants specifically out of me and his reasons can be as twisted as a tornado. If he even hears about you…"

"Inuyasha, I'm not a baby." She stated as she stood and headed into his kitchen to retrieve a drink. She didn't mind arguing with him while she couldn't see him. "If Naraku poses any threat to me, I'll bring out my Miko abilities and decapitate his ass." She started pouring herself a glass of wine and looked around before taking a swig out of the bottle and closing it. She never knew why, but she loved doing that and had ever since she was fourteen and found her father's stash. She'd walk into the kitchen when he wasn't home, stand where the camera's couldn't see her and take large swigs of his alcohol. He had once accused a maid of doing it, but he dropped the subject later on. Daddy dearest never found out about it.

"Kagome, I didn't _say_ you were a baby, did I?" He sounded tired.

"No, but you're implying it. You think I can't take care of myself, even after what you saw me do to Kikyo."  
"THAT is precisely the reason I don't want you going near him!" He stood and crossed his arms by the counter so that he could watch her reactions. "Naraku has a fetish with Mikos, Kagome. _If _he finds out about you, he'll be after you for more reasons that getting back at me, and I'm not going to let anything happen to you. I don't care if you're powerful enough to bring down the city of New York, he's a lot smarter than he looks and he will find a way to capture you."

Kagome's wound burned and she sat the glass down to reach up and grip it tightly. It was just screaming for Inuyasha to heal it, but she was too busy arguing with him to ask him to hurry up and change back into a Hanyou. She wasn't even sure if then she would ask for his help.

He sighed deeply. "Just listen to me this time, Kagome. Naraku is a Spider Demon; a full fledged one with all the powers like Fluffy. I don't know if he can stand Miko power or not but he's probably a lot more bullet proof than I am. No matter what you are to me, he'd find a way to hurt you and get back at me. And if he did manage something like that, it would probably kill me!"  
She turned and stared at him. "Inuyasha, I may be your mate, and you may worry all you want, but I am an adult who is perfectly capable of making her own decisions. Naraku may be a threat to me, but I'm not worried about it because I can take care of myself."

Inuyasha groaned with incredible force. "Kagome, you're doing it again! I am asking one thing of you and you are going to disobey me no matter what, even if it gets you killed! I don't DO this crap to be mean! I do it because I DON'T WANT YOU HURT!"

Kagome just stared at him for a moment while he met her gaze without hesitation. She closed her eyes and counted mentally to herself. "Inuyasha…I'm more worried about you. If he manages to hurt you or anger you enough for you to loose control, how are you going to control yourself without me around?"

He gave her an almost dull look. "If he finds out about you then you won't _be_ around…"

She sighed and continued on as if he hadn't said a thing. "If I remember correctly, you're worse than before I got here when I'm not around. If you have the need to kill, you'll kill anyone in your way and think nothing of it."

"Something like that is better than watching that bastard even _see you_, Kagome. You don't understand why I'm so concerned about this, and I don't think you would unless you saw it for yourself."

"Then tell me and see if I don't understand, Inuyasha. I don't want to be left out of everything."

"He's attracted to power…" he continued. "…if you are even in the same building as him he will know what you are and do everything it takes to capture you." He sighed and his voice became extremely annoyed. "You _add_ _that_ to how beautiful you are, and then the bond to me and it will just ice his cake. He'd do EVERYTHING in his power to have you, Kagome, even if you are already mated."

She sighed deeply as she considered the situation. "But Inuyasha, your thoughts earlier were that you didn't know much about him and that he had never dealt with you before. If you don't know him, then why do you act like you've been part of his plots before?"

"I've seen him work his magic, he's just heartless and could care less about the feelings of another person." He shook his head to move his black hair out of his face and opened the cabinet he had been leaning against, pulling out a bottle of wine and opening it carefully.

Kagome sighed. "Don't drink too much, Inuyasha, you are human tonight."

Only his eyes rose to look at her and then he put the bottle down. "Damnit…" He muttered, putting his gloved hand over his mouth in thought. Apparently, he wasn't thinking of holding back on the inhaling of the alcohol out of pure habit, most likely. He could have been sick for the one night he would be able to the entire month, and getting sick is not something that the club needed right now. He could barely protect Kagome as it is, he didn't need to become ill.

Kagome sighed deeply and walked over to him, bringing her arms slowly around his chest and hugging him tightly. "Why don't you like being human, Inuyasha? I know you hate it, but it's only for one day a month."

He closed his eyes and slowly wrapped his arms around her shoulders, leaning his head on hers as he thought of a good answer. "I guess, when I'm Hanyou, I can really do much more. I'm still human enough to control myself, yet I can still hear, smell, and see with the accuracy of my father. Even though it seems I have a curse, I like playing my cards and keeping it that way. Besides, it's fun when I'm Hanyou, I can drink all I want and never get drunk."

She huffed and squeezed her arms. "I swear, you and that alcohol. And being a Hanyou is not a curse, Inuyasha. Having a little of both worlds is a good thing."

"People of this world has always thought it a curse and they shunned me for it."

Kagome snorted. "Well people talk and no matter what other people do they believe whatever they want to. All I know is I believe that you are you and I love you that way. You don't have to change for anyone."

He smiled softly and began rubbed her back. "How is it that even when I'm in the worst mood possible you manage to cheer me up?"

"Well I would blame it on the bond, but you're human now so…hmm…I guess I just affect people that way."

He laughed softly and held her tighter so that he could bathe in her comforting warmth. She was in his arms, completely safe even if he was Hanyou. Kagome was anything but weak, he knew that, but he refused to take any chances of loosing her. No, he had lost his mother and he wouldn't loose another.

Kagome pulled back and looked into his eyes. She had never seen that color of eyes before, she had never even _heard _of it. She reached up and cupped his cheek, but he had to resist closing his eyes because he knew that she was inspecting them. After a minute of gazing at him, she smiled warmly. "Human or Hanyou, you're still the most unique person I have ever met." She pushed the bangs out of his face. "Your eyes are so beautiful both ways."

He smirked and kissed her chastely. "Yea I know, they're the only feature I truly enjoy when I'm human. I haven't seen another human walking around with violet eyes."

"Me either, and that's what makes it so awesome."

Inuyasha laughed slightly, moving on hand to rest on the curve of her hip as the other gripped the back of her neck softly. He would love to be alone with her for the rest of the night, without any interruptions and problems. If he were to attempt to lower her to the ground he probably wouldn't stop, but he was reluctant to start something in the middle of a club crisis when they are _supposed_ to be waiting for news until morning. Oh yea, that would go over real well, Miroku opening the door to find his boss and tell him news, only to find him in a rather compromising situation on the kitchen floor that he would never hear the end of, even if he killed the monk. Nope, people in his club really knew how to interrupt at the wrong time every time.

He sighed heavily. Being the leader of a gang really sucked sometimes. You couldn't have any fun; it was all work and no play if you wanted to run it properly. He could barely have a sex life with Kagome, and even when he could Miroku and Sango managed to find out about it, but did keep their mouths shut when the monk was nearly mauled. 

He hadn't had a problem starting the club because he was pretty sure he would never have cared about someone like that, but when Kagome came along everything changed. Kidnapping her was the best thing he ever did, and now that they were together, they could barely spend any time with each other.

Somehow, that angered him. No matter how long they both lived, it seemed that something would always come in the way of Kagome and himself. Something was always trying to stop them, or always interrupting when he tried to talk to her. One of these days he was going to get really angry.

But no matter what, the few moments that it was just her and him were priceless. She would make him laugh, feel obnoxious, and he would always love arguing with her. It seemed tense and harsh, but he knew that both of them really enjoyed it because it was something they both were good at. But no matter what she did, he felt like a boulder had been lifted off his chest, just knowing that she was here and still with him. Even if they spent a few minutes together and it didn't seem like long, he would always feel he would give up his Youkai side if just to spend another few with her.

He kissed her cheek and buried his face more in her hair. He sighed deeply. "I don't know what I would do without you, Kagome."

Kagome giggled slightly. "You'd probably be in a lot less trouble, that's for sure."

"I don't care what you cost me, it would all be worth it." He smiled slightly at a strange new thought. It didn't feel any different, his human compared to his Hanyou. Sure, he couldn't use his hyped up senses, or jump from building to building without falling, or scare the living daylights out of anyone who dared to gaze upon him (Kagome, of course, still thought he was the most beautiful person she had ever seen), but holding her and being with her didn't change at all. In fact, he swore he could still smell the intensity of her spring rain scent in her hair. She was right, he realized being human for such a short amount of time might not have been as bad as he had thought. Especially not if she enjoyed it.

"That's sweet, Inuyasha." She said quietly, hearing his thoughts. "Being human is what I have been all my life, although I wouldn't know what it's like to be Hanyou. You're cute in both forms, so don't worry about it." She grinned against his chest as she felt his chuckle.

"Yes, who could resist me? Well, when I'm not being deadly, that is."

She laughed and then frowned instantly when her computer seemed to beep. After remembering carefully, she knew that meant that she had a new message. And it started to give her a bad feeling…

She hesitated before pulling away from Inuyasha and walking over to the computer as he followed suit. His eyes were filled with concern, because he too had a bad feeling. He really sometimes wished that he didn't get feelings like that.

Kagome sat on the couch and opened her computer after gracefully sitting it on her lap. She opened the new message, which had not been signed, and read carefully.

****

A message for you, my dear Miko:

Worried are we? I have heard that you have taken out that other Miko woman, Kikyo I believe. Well done, but now that you are discovered, I would watch my back very carefully if I were you.

Not like I could do anything, as Inuyasha seems to think that nothing will take you away from him. Tell him not to worry, I'm already working on it.

As for your friend, Shippo, you will only get him back safe and unharmed if you cooperate with me. This would be a full test on how much you really care about your friends, Kagome Higurashi.

Don't worry, as I have already made my plans and the actions of the future have already been made. Nothing is going to stop me this time, my revenge will make me come in first! I will let you know when the time to decide will be, Kagome, but until then I have given you plenty of time to decide.

Ah, see you soon,

NARAKU (SLY)

Kagome put a hand over her mouth and closed her eyes, denying her voice of the scream it wanted to unleash. _WHY is it that I am the one the demons are after!!! What did I do to them!_

Inuyasha stared at the screen wide-eyed behind her. _So that's his plan, is it? He already knew about Kagome! _Doing the next thing possible, he called Miroku. "I want you and Sango to come up to my apartment for a meeting. Be quick about it."

"Right away, Inuyasha." 

He snapped the phone shut and stood in silence as Kagome fought the urge to go into hysterics. She just didn't understand…it seemed like people didn't want her happy. She had come to be with Inuyasha, which is everything she could have ever dreamed of, except now people all over want her dead and Inuyasha to suffer. And Naraku had taken an insane interest to her, which she wasn't very comfortable about…

Inuyasha closed his eyes and counted slowly. _Fifty one, fifty two…_then the door opened and he sighed in relief. _Somehow I knew that it wouldn't take very long._

Miroku and Sango looked slightly concerned. "What's happening?" Miroku asked quickly.

Inuyasha pointed to Kagome's screen. "She just got an email from Naraku. Read it." They both bent down over Kagome's shoulder and read the message, and Miroku finished just a few seconds before Sango.

He sighed deeply. "He already knows about Kagome, which means he has been watching us for a good amount of time."

Inuyasha wanted to hit something, but refrained from doing so. "Why? Why do the demons always come after Kagome?" He asked.

Sango stared at him. "You were one of them, Inuyasha."

"Shut up. She's my mate now, I want to know why everyone still wants her dead."

Miroku crossed his arms. "Kagome is now yours, Inuyasha, and you are the enemy to many in this city. Perhaps you being happy is what everyone hates."

He suddenly looked uncomfortable and kept his arms crossed to block everyone else off. "That isn't fair to her." He said quietly. He now wondered if he had left her alone, would she have a better life? Would everyone still be after her? Sure, Fluffy wanted to blackmail her father into money, but he was quite honorable with his hostage situations and her father would have happily paid up. Then Kagome would have been back home and heavily guarded, out of harm's way and away from him.

Kagome stared up at him almost in a hurt way. "Inuyasha, don't think things like that. I'm happier than I have ever been, I don't care if my life is at risk."

He stared at her. "If you were still at home with your father, no one would know what you are and they would probably leave you alone."

"That's a load of bull, Inuyasha!" She screamed and stood to glare at him. "Fluffy would STILL have killed my father and went through our things, Kikyo would STILL be alive and bothering you, I would STILL be miserable and want nothing more than to fall off a cliff and you would STILL be the uncaring person you were when I got here. What, do you regret taking me or something?" It felt like he didn't want her here anymore, even though she knew that's not what he was saying.

He stared at her. "I regret _nothing_ I have ever done except not being able to help my mother in time. I am saying that if I hadn't taken you, you would probably be safer, I do not want you to go anywhere and it would be impossible for you to now." He kept his voice under perfect control, which almost confused Kagome. He was really good at arguing back and really good in raising his voice, mainly because Inuyasha hated being wrong.

"Then don't think things like that. Don't think 'what if' because it won't ever happen that way." Kagome closed her computer and walked into the spare bedroom in back, closing the door and locking it behind her. She had been completely calm, as if sneaking into her room instead of storming into it.

He sighed. Miroku scratched his head. "Sometimes she takes things too seriously."

Sango smacked the back of his head. "Miroku, leave her alone. We all have to decide how to deal with Naraku."

Inuyasha snorted. "There's nothing we can do, not right now. He's known about Kagome for a while, he knew that she defeated Kikyo and he knew what she was from the start. He's had this planned out, and he took Shippo as a test factor. But we can't let her go anywhere near him."

"Inuyasha, could you possibly be overprotecting again? Worrying about her too much, maybe? I mean, we all saw what she did to Kikyo, I'm perfectly able to say that she can take care of herself."

Miroku grabbed Sango's shoulder as he talked. "He's not overprotecting her, Sango, Kagome has to be protected from Naraku. He's a rather perverted demon, if you ask me that is."

Sango sighed. "Well nobody asked you. The only thing I'm worried about is what he has planned. He's going to ask Kagome to make a decision that will affect Inuyasha and the entire club either way that she does it. If she does it, he takes her and uses her, if not, then chances are he'll kill Shippo. She'd never forgive herself for that."

Inuyasha sighed. "He's so sly it's not even funny. He's bending everything to work out his way."

Sango nodded. "So we must fight fire with fire, ne?"

"I'm not as good at this game as he is, though."

Miroku put a hand on his heart. "Inuyasha, do you not enjoy the challenge?" He seemed to be teasing him and Sango rolled her eyes. _Great timing Miroku._

"A challenge that will put the ones I care about in danger does not appeal to me as much as, oh lets say, the electronic store robberies. They don't live, they can be rebuilt, but Kagome will only come around once in a life time."

Miroku smiled softly. "I can see why some women can really get to know you when you're not trying to kill everyone."

"I only kill when people bother me." He glanced back down the hallway that Kagome disappeared into. "Miroku…" He said quietly.

"Yes, Inuyasha?"

He straightened up and started popping his knuckles. "I want double security on her whenever she leaves this room. If Naraku knows about her then he's definitely planning on getting her from me, and I can't let that happen. We'll find a way to rescue Shippo and get Naraku off our back."

"But Inuyasha…" Sango started, and the glare he gave her was all it took to quiet her.

"I have to do this, Sango, until I figure out how to stop all of my enemies from wanting me miserable." Pondering for a moment, Inuyasha made a hard decision. He quietly walked back into the hall and started knocking on the door. 

Kagome turned off her computer and opened the door to stare at him. "Yea?"

"Get your coat, we're going out."

"Out?" She was clearly puzzled. "Why would we be going out? I figured you wouldn't let me go anywhere."

"The only way that you're going anywhere is with me, and while no one can really recognize me it'll be easier to get around. Now hurry up, we're all going out." He left the room and left Kagome to get ready while puzzling where in the world they were going.

"Miroku, call the snipers and tell them to watch Kagome when she leaves the building. They're usually somewhere outside nearby, so they'll have a target."

Sango snorted as Miroku got on the phone. "You mean to tell me you're _actually_ going to let her go out of the club?"

"I have an idea, and she'll be with me the whole time."

She eyed him carefully. "I don't like that tilt in your voice, Inuyasha. What are you going to do?"

"You'll just have to see, now won't you?" He almost smirked. _This is very amusing._

Miroku hung up and gave him the 'come on' look. "You _never _do anything like this when you're human. You don't even leave the safety of your room."

"Keh, shove it. I know what I'm doing, now you two go and get your motorcycle gear. We're all going on a drive."

Sango didn't look away as she tugged Miroku's shirt and whispered in his ear. "He's scaring me, is he drunk?"

Miroku whispered back in the same manner. "No, he must really have a plan that he's certain is going to work."

"GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!" Inuyasha snorted, watching his third and fourth scurry out of the room to fulfill the orders they were given.

Kagome leaned heavily on the doorway of her room, observing Inuyasha with the greatest of care. "Just what are you up to? You're even worrying Sango and Miroku."

"I'm not going to say anything until we get there, and when we do you'll understand why. You ready to go?"

She sighed deeply and held her arms out, spinning around in a circle so that her coat spun. "If you consider this ready, I am."

He smiled weakly. "Good." He put very dark sunglasses on to cover his beautiful eyes, and managed to stuff all of his hair into a beanie. After he left the club, he would let it loose again, but he didn't want any of his members to see him in his human form. There is no need to chance another mouth blabbing to the enemy about when he's vulnerable.

Making sure that he had chains all in place, he walked over to the door and watched her as she put on her sunglasses. "Keep those on for a while, ok?"

"Whatever you say." She said quietly. It was bugging the hell out of her that she didn't know where they were going, and by god she wanted to find out!

*~*~^_^~*~*

Kagome held on tightly to Inuyasha as she had throughout the entire trip, constantly searching the darkness of New York to find out where they were going. It had to be about three in the morning by the look of the sky and the lack of cars on the highway. The lights were somewhat dimming down, and try as she might Kagome wasn't really sure where they were. She had been to New York hundreds of times before she moved here for good, and she still didn't know where the heck she was. She suddenly felt a little stupid, but Miroku and Sango almost looked just as clueless.

The formation had been the same as they weaved in and out of traffic; Inuyasha's motorcycle in front, Sango behind him and Miroku behind her. It was only like that because no one knew where Inuyasha was going, otherwise Miroku would be in front to help disguise Inuyasha's human outfit, as he now showed off as much human as he was comfortable with. He had removed his sunglasses and beanie and had Kagome stuff them into his coat pockets so that he could hold on tightly to the bike. She had stuffed her sunglasses into her own pocket so that she could get a better view, but nothing was helping.

The helmets, however, were a must, and it had almost seemed that Inuyasha had turned his microphone off due to all the questions about where they were going. Sango and Miroku were nagging him like crazy, and talking between themselves when they thought that no one else was listening. Kagome, however, was listening intently.

"Miroku! What the hell are you doin?"

"Nothing at all, Sango, why do you ask?"

"GET on your own side of the road and keep your hands to yourself. Don't make me hit you and run you off the road."

He chuckled. "Inuyasha wouldn't like that."

"Does this look like I care?" Kagome glanced back and witnessed Sango show Miroku a rather obscene gesture involving her middle finger.

He continued to laugh. "Ah, you're right, Sango."

"_What_ are you thinking?"  
"I'm bored, I'd like to know what Inuyasha is going to do but he won't talk. Kagome's more stumped than we are."

"Well he's so caring towards her. Did you ever notice how his entire life has changed to revolve around her?"

"Of course, Sango, that's probably why he's doing whatever he's doing now."

It was quiet for a moment before Sango almost gasped. "Are we _leaving _New York?"

Kagome glanced around and observed their surroundings. Inuyasha tuned into the microphone. "What are you babbling about?"

"Inuyasha, why are we leaving the city?"

"I told you to shut up about it, and I meant it. And you two can wait until later to have private conversations because I don't want to hear it and I imagine that Kagome doesn't either."

Miroku snorted and muttered something while Sango sighed and looked dully at Kagome's back. _We sure can't hide anything from you, can we?_

Kagome absently moved closer to Inuyasha. "Inuyasha, where are we going?"

He sighed. "We're almost there." His tone dismissed the conversation, and so they all remained silent as he started heading down the back roads. Kagome was slowly growing suspicious as she slowly noticed that everything she was viewing was becoming more and more familiar.

Finally, he had parked along the side of a large building right outside the city, and if Kagome's eyes would have gotten bigger they could have. He hopped off the bike and Kagome grabbed his shoulder while staring at the building intently. "Are you ILL?"

Miroku and Sango jumped off the bike and Sango shook her head as if not accepting. "You have GOT to be kidding, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha sighed as he gripped Kagome's elbow and began to slowly pull her off the bike to start into the building. Miroku and Sango slowly followed them, and they were suddenly wondering _why_?

…WHY in the seven hells would Inuyasha come into a police station?

*~*~^_^~*~*

"Uh…Inuyasha? Just so you know, I'm not going anywhere near a person in this building until you tell me what you're doing." Kagome stated.

He messed with his coat as he glanced at the clock on the wall. The 'police station' seemed rather abandoned for a station in New York. In fact, there was only one person there, and Inuyasha had to ask him how to find somebody important. To Kagome's surprise, the person didn't run screaming or didn't push any alarms to alert the others to his presence. He treated Inuyasha like any other person, except the look in his eyes told them that he was a little disturbing…of course, Inuyasha wouldn't have it any other way, human or not.

Kagome, however, was a different story. She stood behind Miroku and Sango the whole time, trying to figure out why in the world Inuyasha had come here and why he wasn't the one blocking her off from view. Inuyasha hadn't seemed hesitant to come in here at all, which was really driving her mad. _That's it, he's going to get the nagging session of his life when we leave._ Of course he chose at that moment to give her the 'just trust me' look, and who was she to resist?

She had to admit that he was right, and in a way that it was rather funny. Everyone knew what Inuyasha looked like as a Hanyou, it was his unmistakable trademark that everyone had grown to know and fear throughout the city. In his human, however, _no one _was going to know who he was unless they were in the club and he started talking to reveal his voice, and he wasn't one to give away good opportunity. Outside, no one would really recognize him because the only thing that would give him away was his attire, but since everyone in the club dressed like him anyway, he wasn't all that worried.

When the man behind the desk left and into a different room, Inuyasha started messing with his hair and smirked.

Sango sighed. "All right, Inuyasha, you have us stumped, now why are we here?"

"We're meeting someone."

"Why? Who's here that we need to talk to?"

Inuyasha smirked, genuinely proud of himself. "Clever ain't it? No one would ever think of me doing business with someone that actually _works_ for the force, now would they?"

Kagome pulled away from the little cell that Miroku and Sango had cocooned her in and stood in front of him. "You mean that someone here actually _helps_ you? This is a police station, you're the most wanted person in the state."

He snorted. "Actually, _deary_, you are. They would pay big money to find you."

She rolled her eyes. _Damn his retarded pet names…_ "Don't call me that..."

"It's true, and you know what? The person that I have come to see has been helping me secretly for years, and no one else in the gang knew it. It's been a secret, and a well kept one, and besides you four I intend to keep it a large secret so she can continue working for the force."

Kagome stared at him. "You do know that brining me here is going to be risky?"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and wrapped an arm protectively around her waist. "Don't worry about anything, you know I wouldn't have brought you here if I thought it was unsafe."

She nodded. "I just don't want to be accidentally brought into custody and terrorized for days on end about where I've been."

"And you _won't _be, not here."

The man came back from the back room and Inuyasha turned slightly so that Kagome was out of sight. "So can we see her?"

"Yea, sure, but be quiet because I'm about ready to take a long needed lap."

Before saying the first thing on his mind, he just cocked his eyebrow and nodded, leading Kagome away and waiting until Sango and Miroku followed.

They followed him quickly down a path of stairs in a back room, watching him as he searched the darkness for a something in specific. Kagome sighed deeply. _I'm glad he knows what he's doing because I honestly don't have a clue._

Inuyasha squeezed her hand once as they hit the bottom of the stairs. "Anyone here?" He stated carefully. They all looked around in the dark, trying to find anything that was down there, but it was very hard to see anything at all, even Inuyasha couldn't quite see.

"Are you alone?" A quiet, feminine voice asked out of the corner.

Inuyasha stood straighter. "Hai, just us four."

"I want the names, I'm not risking anything." 

No one could still see anything, but Inuyasha turned and pointed at the person he was talking about. "That's Miroku, my third, that's Sango, head of the defensive department…" He paused and pointed at Kagome. "And meet my second, Kagome Higurashi."

The voice laughed slightly and the dim lights turned on, revealing a rather extraordinary looking woman walk away from a desk in the middle of the room. She was unique, and just by looking at her you could tell she wasn't human. Her long true red hair flowed down past her waist, braided in an excellent braid. She had brilliant green eyes, and a symbol of fire on her forehead. She had very noticeable fangs and claws that grazed her hips as she sat her hands there, studying Kagome as if she were an interesting picture. She wore a strange black and red vest, and skin tight black pants so that all her features stood out more and made her even more exotic.

Kagome glanced around her. "Why dim lights?"

"She's sensitive to light..." Inuyasha said quietly.

The woman smirked. "Inuyasha, you didn't tell me that you were the one to kidnap the great lawyer, Miss Kagome Higurashi. How'd you manage to get her on your side without her ratting you out?" She trailed around and stood in front of Kagome, both studying each other carefully.

"My business, not yours." He stated gruffly.

Kagome smiled when she realized what this woman was. "You're a Kitsune, like Shippo."

The woman smiled and held out her hand for Kagome to shake. "Very good, I'm impressed. It usually takes people a minute or two to figure out what I am, but I don't mind because I like to encourage the illusion of being a dangerous demon. My name is Kirara, but you may call me Kira. I am a fire cat Kitsune. Nice to meet you, Miko."

Inuyasha sighed. "Kira, I need some information, and back off the Miko crap."

"That's all you ever need when you talk to me, Inuyasha. I figured that much, and I also figured it was important if you had to come in the dark while in your human form." She turned and walked back to her desk, sitting down like a professional with her back straight and her ankles crossed. "What can I do for you this time?"

He sighed. "I have many things to ask you, Kira, so do me a favor and hand the stuff over."

The woman sighed and threw a folder at him, in which even without his Hanyou abilities he caught with no sweat and started looking through it. "That is everything you want that I can provide you on Naraku. He is still as sly as ever at keeping all his information out of hands of others, and what he plans to do with Shippo is one thing that he's planning on taking to the grave if he doesn't act on it soon. The Miko business, however, is not something that I can ignore, no matter how much you ask it of me."

Kagome crossed her arms and stared at her. "What do you mean?"

"You are a fine woman, Kagome, and I like the fact that you were able to take out psycho bitch. Well done, but that has only brought Naraku's attention to you closer. He wishes to meet you and much more." She pointed at the chair in front of her desk and commanded Kagome to sit. After Kagome hesitated and did as she was told, Kira leaned forward as if a girl soaking up some juicy gossip. "What do you plan to do?"

Kagome sighed and leaned back when she felt Inuyasha put his hands on the back of the chair. She put a hand on her chin and sighed. "I don't know." She said after a minute. "I guess I was seriously considering it for a while, but…I don't know, maybe there's another way."

Inuyasha sighed. "Good girl." He muttered quietly.

Kira leaned back and placed her red boots on the table. "That's quite the predicament you've got there, Kagome. Either way you have it, Naraku will make Inuyasha miserable. And he knows that if Shippo does die because you refused him, you would never forgive yourself. That is something that you don't want to live with, ne?'

She nodded. "But we can't just do nothing, it's me he's wanting and I have to find a way to get him out of it."

"But you can't do it alone like I know you're planning. You may be powerful, but that bastard's tricky. He plans ahead of time for all the outcomes he can think of. You have to be prepared."

She sighed. "I'm guessing since everyone is saying that I can't do it on my own, apparently I can't. So then what do you propose?"

Inuyasha glanced at her. "I want you're help on this little mission, Kira. We are taking that bastard down, but you have more information on him than anyone. You're the best tracer in the city, isn't that why you're in the force?"

She smiled. "I'm in the force by force, as a way of getting out of a jail sentence. They knew I was very good at what I do and that's why they made me work down here on certain hours. I can't just disappear without notice, and that'll be the only way I can help, ne?"

"Hai, but Kagome did it and the police don't know about it."

Kira held up her wrist to show what looked like a single shackle, tightened around her wrist enough that it couldn't come off. "This is my tracer, I've got a couple more months until they take it off."

He sighed. "Damn it…"

Miroku, who had been strangely silent throughout the conversation, decided to pitch in. "Couldn't you remove that with a welder?"  
She smirked. "If it were normal, I could, but I'm a FIRE cat Kitsune, fire would be my first method of escape and they knew that. This cannot simply be welded off my hands."

"How about drilled off?" Kagome stated with a rather interesting lilt to her voice. It sounded like if that had to happen, she would greatly enjoy it.

Kira laughed. "And what? Let my arm get hacked off? You would enjoy it, no doubt."

"I'm sorry, but once in a while I enjoy seeing something violent. It helps me calm my nerves."

The Kitsune laughed again. "I wonder what kind of a lawyer you were, Higurashi. You must have been miserable if you now think differently about the world."

"I've thought like this my whole life, I just never showed it until I was 'kidnapped'." She leaned back. "If you know everything, then why don't you help out with something?"

"I have puzzled about it my entire sentence. By the time I figure it out, I'll be free."

Inuyasha snorted. "Woman, I thought you knew a lot about technology."

"I do, but I can't work with something that's on myself. If I could use two hands, I could get it off."

Inuyasha glanced down at Kagome. "It's a simple alarm system, why don't you just deactivate it and take it off her?"

Kagome looked down. "Where the hell's the buttons?"

"They're all underneath it, facing her wrist."

Kagome stood and walked over to the desk while the Kitsune laid out her wrist. She leaned back and watched in fascination as Kagome began to fiddle with the buttons on the bottom and she mused. "If this woman can get this thing off, I'm in dept to you."

After Kagome had used one of her handy hair pins that she stored in her pockets, she managed to unhinge the clips of the lock and allowed it to slide off her wrist. Kira smiled and rubbed her wrist. "Well, well, aren't we impressive? I'm grateful to you."

"No problem." She turned and glared at Inuyasha. "Why'd you let us sit here and argue about it if you knew how to take it off?"

He crossed his arms and smirked. "It was entertaining."

"Oh I hate you so much." She clenched her eyes shut and fumed.

"No you don't, you can't, remember?"

Kira grinned. "Ah, the woman is your mate, ne? I didn't know that the great Inuyasha had finally chosen someone to care about."

"Shut up, Kira. When does the cop upstairs leave?"

"He should be taking a nap about now. If we're lucky we can sneak out."

Inuyasha glanced at Sango. "She'll be riding with you, for some reason I don't trust Miroku, at least not after what I heard on the way up here."

Miroku snorted. "Why don't she ride with you and Kagome ride with Sango?"

"Don't even think about something like that, as long as I'm one of the drivers, Kagome rides with me and me only. Not that I don't trust you two, but I'd rather be sure of her safety." Kagome gave a loud exhaling breath and rolled her eyes. _When will it end?_

Inuyasha checked his watch. "We only have an hour until sunrise, we need to get back to the club. Kira, as long as you stay with us in the club you shouldn't be found, so let's go."

She crossed her arms tightly. "And ride on one of those contraptions? How can you even stand it, Inuyasha? The smell of exhaust is so strong my senses will be rendered useless for hours."

"I've gotten used to it, and I'm surprised that you haven't. You do live in New York."

She rolled her eyes. "Hai…"

"Then quit bitching. You're riding with Sango because it's easier that way and I said so. While you're in my club, you listen to me."

"Of course. Let's hurry up so that we can find a solution and bring Shippo back."

Kagome glanced at her. "Shippo's your friend, too?"

Inuyasha snorted. "He's more than that to her, Kagome, but while she was in jail he couldn't see her."

She smiled and patted the Kitsune's arm. "That's sweet, I'm glad Shippo has someone to rely on."

Kira only grinned. "And I'm glad that Inuyasha has finally found the perfect stubborn match for himself. You're no doubt in my mind perfect for each other."

No other words were passed as they managed to get out of the building without being seen. The guard was indeed sleeping, and so simply walking out wasn't a problem. They'd have to be more careful now, as they were all fugitives and any cop that happened to be awake and driving around at this hour could spot them and follow them back to the club. Come on, get real, Inuyasha's not _ever_ going to stop so a cop can give him a ticket and a life sentence to jail.


	14. The Dark Hour

Disclaimer-I don't own Inuyasha.

Chapter 14-The dark hour

Kagome managed to hold onto Inuyasha throughout the entire ride without falling off the bike. She was constantly glancing around to help him spot for cops, and with a new demon of a sort now along with them, Kagome was starting to worry slightly for many unknown reasons. _Hmm, perhaps because like Inuyasha, she stands out?_

What will the police do about Kira? She sighed deeply. _If Inuyasha EVER gets caught, they'll give him a death sentence for holding two fugitives and killing people. I swear, I have the most complicated life in the world!_

The police would naturally start searching for Kira because her skills were needed by them, but unless they had cameras stationed in that police station (which she highly doubted because Inuyasha goes there all the time) there was no way they could figure out where she went. Everyone in the club still wore gloves when they went out, so no fingerprints or any other exclusive evidence would be found. They would be stuck on a dead end, just like they had with Kagome. In fact, she was certain they had given up search, but they weren't going to stop looking completely.

A bump on the ride caused her to hold onto Inuyasha tighter. He was speeding, racing the sun to get back at the club before he becomes recognizable again. All laws seemed to not apply to him, and for one thing she knew that she wasn't in any real danger with him on a bike. If it started swerving or preparing to crash, he would just grab her off and jump to safety like he did when she 'borrowed' his motorcycles. He wasn't going to get caught looking like a Hanyou and having both fugitives with him. Sadly, that wouldn't end well for Inuyasha or the club, she just knew it.

She had plans, however, and Sango would help her. Inuyasha thought she was defenseless; fine, she could deal with that easily. Kikyo's sudden death didn't convince him, so she would have to be quicker with her hands and her weapons as well. She was a girl with something to prove, and her lover is the one she had to prove it to. All the more exciting.

He would be right, anyway, because she couldn't simply walk around flashing all her powers like Kikyo did. She would have to be just as dangerous as Inuyasha with her weapons in hand. And she swore she would learn if it took her the rest of her natural life.

Kira was holding onto Sango for dear life. She wasn't the type to ride motors, apparently. She loved to run and use her legs. But she deeply respected Inuyasha and she would do whatever he told her to, within reason that is. Riding that contraption was just barely on the border, and she showed that by holding a hand tightly over her nose, forcing her to breathe out of her mouth.

Miroku was in front this time because he had mapped out their route from the start. He knew where they were and precisely how to get home, and by Inuyasha's orders he was going at least ten miles over the speed limit to beat the sun back to the club. It was currently five-forty five and the sun would be up any time now. Not that he didn't enjoy the feeling of returning to himself, but he really had to make sure the cops didn't see him in that form.

Kagome's fingers were tingling with Inuyasha's demon. His powers were starting to slowly return to him with every minute closer to sunrise, and the feelings that he was feeling were emitting off of him and onto her hands. She really liked that feeling for some reason, and she knew that he did, too, which is what made it so enthralling. They could share excitement like this, and it made her extremely happy. It also made the trip back even more exciting.

Inuyasha smirked. It was coming closer, he could feel it. Any minute now he'd be back to his old dangerous self, no hiding anything until a month later when it happened again. Of course, if everything went according to plan, sooner or later he wouldn't worry about hiding his human from everyone, because he planned to be rid of his enemies by then.

Miroku gripped the microphone by his ear. "Nearly there, Inuyasha. Sunrise is in five minutes."

"Speed it up, I want to be at least outside the club when I change back. I don't want to be riding this thing, it'll endanger Kagome. We all know how fragile she is." He teased, knowing that she'd have something to say.

"KISS my ASS, Inuyasha."

"When and where?"

She smacked him and he laughed. "You are the most infuriating person alive!"  
He glanced back at her and grinned. "I know, don't you just love me?"

She huffed and rolled her eyes at him. "Sometime we should wrestle while you're human. I want to know who'd win."

"I'd still kick your ass."

"Want to make a bet out of it?"

Kira sighed in exasperation and poked Sango in the side. "Are they _always_ like this?"

"Always have been and always will be. That's the only way Inuyasha got to know her, by calling her names and picking as many fights as possible."

Kira glanced blandly ahead. "Hmm, that's what makes them perfect for each other. Aggravating both together and apart, but always fighting for dominance."

"We're still not sure which one's the dominant one."

Kagome glanced back and snorted. "Sango, shut up."

She exhaled carefully. "Yes, Kagome."

She nodded and showed her approval as she turned back to hold Inuyasha. Sango snorted. _One of these days, Higurashi. One of these days…_

"Inuyasha, we're here."

"Finally, and with a couple minutes to spare." He stopped his bike in the garage as everyone followed suit, and Kira looked extremely relieved to be off of it. 

"Ugh, finally." She waved her hand in front of her nose and jumped off, in a cat like way as she landed gracefully on her feet. Then taking care not to touch anything else of Inuyasha's she walked near the door to the club and waited for permission to escape the fumes of the engines.

Inuyasha, however, was still counting down. Every minute he felt more and more power return to him, and it was now coming in bigger shipments because of him only having a minute left. He could almost feel his claws and fangs, almost like they were on the verge of popping out the second sunrise came. He grinned and clenched his fist while still clenching the bike. Being one that liked things the way they usually are, he couldn't wait to have the wonderful feeling of power back in him.

Miroku and Sango had just parked their bikes and hopped off, waiting for Inuyasha. Kagome just leaned back on it with her arms crossed, a bad idea but somehow she figured she wouldn't be falling off. She wanted to watch Inuyasha change back and see how much magic seemed involved.

After a minute, the sun peaked over the horizon and Inuyasha felt a blast of invisible energy hit him with force. He held out his hands and watched as his nails became his incredibly sharp claws once again. He grinned when he could feel the fangs and eyes turn back as well, and everything about him was coming back with incredible force.

Kagome was still sitting behind him and watched with amazement as his hair in one instant faded from black to silver, and his head was turned to the side enough that she could see his eyes and fangs as well. She couldn't help but smirk: she loved it when he looked dangerous. It was somehow more like him in every way.

Inuyasha clenched his fist, effectively popping all the knuckles in his hands. "Ah, that's much better." He said with full sureness. He climbed off his bike one leg at a time and Kagome followed suit so that she didn't fall off. Wouldn't want to embarrass herself in front of Kira when she had managed to impress her, now would she?

His ears that had now come back to the top like dog ears were twisting in different directions with the sounds of the club. "Hmm, sounds like I need to go calm some people down. Coming Kagome?"

"Yep." He turned and walked into the club, pulling out knives out of his sleeves for effective convincing. Kagome just smirked and pulled out one of her small handguns, making sure the safety was off so she didn't have an accident. The rest of the group followed closely behind them, Kira trying as hard as she could to decipher the smells and sounds of the club without gasping for air. Everything was so different than what she was used to in that police station, but she supposed she could get used to it if Inuyasha had managed to. After all, dogs had the strongest sense of smell of all, and if he could tolerate it, then she could sure learn to.

Sure enough, when they entered the club a couple of members where arguing rather violently by the bar (a favorite place to argue and start fights apparently). "I don't care WHAT you think, you little…"

Kagome shot the ceiling as the guy prepared to punch the other. Inuyasha had winced but expected it. Kira, on the other hand, had her hands placed so tightly over her pointed ears she thought she would crush her skull.

Inuyasha snorted and whispered. "You are the queen." In an obedient manner.

"Thank you." She glared at the men and raised her voice, walking to stand in front. "Now what the hell is this? What are you two doing?"

The one that had did all the talking that she could hear relaxed and pointed at the other man. "Sorry, ma'am, but this little dickhead challenged me."

Kagome snorted. "Don't you have brains? The rule in this club is to not fight with someone on your own side, unless of course Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku or me. What the hell do you think you two are doing breaking one of the rules?"

He sighed and clenched his fists. "You're just a chick…"

Inuyasha growled loudly and one of his blades began to rotate in his hand, shining brilliantly in the new light of day. "Say that again, I dare you." He challenged. He'd have it known that he did not just date some 'chick'. Kagome was much more than that, and he probably hadn't been one of the people to witness the Miko incident if he was stupid enough to call her one.

The other man pitched in. "He thinks that because Kagome here is a girl that she can't kill us."

"I'll have it be known that I have kicked Kouga's butt plenty of times to earn a metal for defense. I can _kill_." She raised her eyebrows on that one word, proving that she knew what she was talking about, and half the club knew it too. She aimed the gun at the man with the smart mouth. "Now do you care to test that?"

He shook his head. "No ma'am."

"Good. The next time the two of you fight you'll be fighting with me, got it?" When they nodded weakly, she put her gun away and walked over to the bar. "Good, that's good." She stated quietly, gathering herself a bottle of wine out of the wine cabinets and leaving the money for it on the table.

Inuyasha eyed the club and crossed his arms with his knives still in hand. He continued to growl lowly and menacingly to prove that he meant business. He did manage to eye Kagome as well, for taking that whole bottle of an _alcoholic _beverage, but he wasn't going to destroy her moment of glory. The club's respect for her had been reinsured, and now that man wouldn't dare even _think _of her as a chick again. Oh yes, he'd be sure of it.

She brought the bottle back and started to head up the stairs while Sango and Miroku followed her, chatting like they were still in high school and gossip was the best thing. Inuyasha waited behind to give the man a piece of his mind, waiting until Kagome slammed his office door before he made a move. 

He shoved one knife back into his sleeve and moved so quickly that only Kira could watch him while she stood on the bottom of the stairs. In less than a second Inuyasha had the man held up by his collar and begging for air while the knife was held tightly to his throat. Inuyasha smirked. "I hoped you listened to her, Bobby. I really do." He stated sweetly.

"Yes sir, of course I did."

"Would I date just any chick, Bobby?" He continued to use his sweet tone to scare the man more. He could smell the man's fear like a perfume, cowering by the power of himself, and he had rather missed the feeling of being in control. _Man, I need to be alone with Kagome sometime soon._

"NO!" Bobby was now turning a rather interesting shade of blue, but he didn't say anything about air. No one was permitted to show weakness in front of Inuyasha.

"Well then Bob, by what right do you think that either of us are going to tolerate talk like that from you?" With each passing word it got deeper and darker, showing how much he really wanted to yell at the moment.

"I don't know sir, I really don't! It's just that you don't normally think of chicks being in charge…"  
"She's not a chick! If she was just some chick I wouldn't be dating her, would I?! She has to have a lot if I even let her into this club!" The man seemed shaken up, and his fear spiked to the maximum. The next step he would take was to pee his pants, and Inuyasha didn't really want that at the moment. "NOW…" He sat the man on the ground and pointed the blade not even a centimeter away from his nose.

"Kagome will be getting the respect she deserves from you from now on, now won't she? Because if you _don't _show her the right respect, I'll be forced to cut your stomach open so I can see what kind of alcohol you've just consumed, even though I can clearly smell it on you. IS THIS UNDERSTOOD?"

The man nodded and almost bowed if Inuyasha wouldn't have been holding him. "Yes sir, anything sir."

"GOOD." Inuyasha pushed the man back with such force that he ran into the table next to him, struggling to stand and regain his balance.

Inuyasha pointed the blade at the other man who was fighting. "Now you know that fighting are against the rules, and if it happens again then you'll be sorry, got it?"

He nodded and Inuyasha snorted, turning to lead Kira upstairs. "Good." He stated, sheathing his knife and ushering for Kira to go so that he could head up.

What he really didn't expect was Kagome was really getting into her position. She had Miroku in a headlock, screaming in his ear while he struggled as hard as he could to get away from her. Sango could only laugh, trying hard to cover it up. 

Kira smirked. "I see the power has returned to Kagome as well."

Inuyasha glared at her as if she wasn't supposed to know anything. "What?"  
"When your power-happy demon returned to you, you felt your leadership come back as well. Kagome can feel whatever you do, so the mood must have affected her too."

He scoffed. "Quit acting like a know-it-all."

"I'm right."

"I don't care." He walked over to Kagome and she glanced up at him, dropping the gasping Miroku to the floor. She smiled innocently while he started sniffing near her. After that she just gave him a questioning look and he held out his hand. "I want it, where is it?"

"Where's what?" She asked innocently. She hadn't had that much to drink, good lord; he was still going to take it from her? _Sheesh_…

"You _know_ what, where is it? I don't think you've consumed the bottle yet but you're probably close to intoxication already."

She snorted. "I hate you, I absolutely LOATHE you."

"Yea, well, you can hate me all you want but I want that bottle."

"I don't know where it is, because MIROKU took it from me already." She glared at him and fisted her hand, making sure that he got the message that she wasn't too happy with him. One thing was for sure…Miroku would never get the chance to steal her drinks ever again.

"Well thanks, Miroku, now where is it?" He pointed to the desk and Inuyasha stormed over to it, listening intently as Kagome threatened Miroku about ever trying that again, and something about he'd never live to see the next day, Inuyasha or no.

After retrieving the bottle, Inuyasha snorted. "Kagome, put a cork in it."

"Make me." She dared.

"Don't ask me to make you do anything, trust me, I _will._" He took the lid off the now recovered bottle of wine and started chugging it, then finished it and threw it in the trash.

Sango rolled her eyes. "Great, Inuyasha. That's just peachy, you're going to make her have a cow."Miroku nodded. "Yea, that's wonderful."

Kagome didn't even seem to hear them as she pointed at him. "Damn it, do you have to sit there and do that to me?!"

"Yes, I do, because if I throw it in the trash then you'd just pull it back out and start drinking more. I'm not letting you get drunk."

"I am not a child. I do not need you to baby-sit me, and you don't have to sit there and torture me by drinking something that _I _paid for!"  
"You shouldn't have bought it in the first place. I wasn't going to yell at you in public cause I really didn't want to have to restrain you in front of the club."

"Yell? YELL!"

"Yea, you know, the thing you're doing now!" He was getting louder and louder, and a true argument was brewing. Kira was in for a show.

"You do this on purpose, just to irritate the hell out of me!"

He grinned. "I love doing that to you, but that's not why I don't want you to drink. I don't want you having a hangover the next day, you're difficult enough to get along with as it is."

"You bastard! You're such an arrogant prick, I'm surprised ego isn't leaking out of your ears!"

"Well I'M the dog demon and YOU'RE the one who needs the leash!"

Boy, did she want to hit him… She gaped. "I can't BELIEVE you!"

"I can't believe _you_ half the time! You act like me protecting you is a crime!"

"You're just like my father, controlling me and making me miserable! Only with you I'm allowed to argue about it."

"Well that's more than you had."

"I LOATHE you."

"Awe, sweetie, I loathe you too."

She growled and clenched her fists. _Boy is he in for an earache that he will never forget…_

Miroku cleared his throat. "Look, us three are going to go downstairs, you two can stay up here and dish it out until you're eyes are burning." He ended up scratching his head when _both _of his boss's flipped him off. "Ok, see ya!" Then they left the room, and after they left Inuyasha walked over to the door and locked it, feeling Kagome's eyes burning into his back.

"I WANT my alcohol back, go out there and get me another bottle."

"I don't think so." He turned around and kept his arms crossed tightly, wondering how long she would really go for this time. He could top anything that she did, and sometimes he could leave her speechless.

He almost smiled. They were arguing so much that he almost forgot about her wound that badly needed healing and aid. She wasn't in the mood to do anything, he knew that, but he was going to 'make her' if he had to.

"Bastard." She barked suddenly.

He snorted. _Back to this again, are we? Fine, we'll play. _"Bitch."

"Prick." 

"Whore."  
"Egotistical dog."

He was struck with that one, and his eyebrows went up like he had been hit. "Boy, aren't we being the little slutty bitch we were before tonight."

Her fists clenched. "Controlling, depriving…"

"We can do this all night, Kagome, or we can take advantage of this time." He stated.

She bit her lip and crossed her arms, her tongue almost stinging with unsaid insults. "Advantage? What advantage? The whole club is still downstairs."

"Do you have to argue with everything?"

"Yes, yes I do. Ever since I had gone to law school, I was MEANT to argue."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Just my luck that you had to be a lawyer."

Her arms couldn't possibly move any closer to her chest. "I'm sorry that my dad chose for me to be a lawyer, but see, that couldn't have been helped. I didn't have a choice."

"Don't talk about your dad." He stated, moving towards his desk chair and sitting quickly. He moved around until he appeared comfortable, then crossed his arms tightly. "Come here."

She stared at him and shook her head. "I don't think so. The minute I go anywhere near you I'm going to calm down."

Inuyasha cocked his eyebrow and leaned on his hand. "What do you mean by that? You have a wound and I'm going to heal it."

"I don't need healing."

"Yes, you do, and if you don't come over here right now then I'm going to keep you from having alcohol anymore. Not even a sip."

Kagome's jaw hit the floor. "Shit. That's cruel."

He crossed his arms and smirked. "Well you're the one who's being stubborn, now move it."

Her lips twisted as she thought about it, and eventually seeing that she didn't want to be deprived of alcohol anymore she crossed her arms and walked closer to him. She felt a little stupid, or perhaps apprehensive. Or maybe the concept was more like an insect walking into the spider's web, both willingly and knowingly.

Inuyasha reached out and pulled her into his lap, forcing her legs on each side of him so that she sat comfortably on his legs. He had purposefully made sure that she was facing him before gripping her chin so she'd look at him. "What's your problem?"

"You are so mean to me, you know that don't you?" She pouted.

He smirked. "I do those things because I love you; now take off your coat."

Kagome nodded and complied, dropping it to the floor. Inuyasha began to slowly remove the bandage from around her arm and shook his head. "This looks like it hurts; I can't see how you could just ignore it like you did."

"Well I'm under the impression that I can't hold a high position in the ranks if I appear weak."

"You're only the second; you don't need to worry about stuff like that." After he unwrapped the bandage he glared at the wound. Even though it wasn't bleeding, he stared at it as it marred the perfection of her body. It wasn't even infected, but it was a hole, something that he couldn't leave there willingly. It was a sore reminder of the bitch who had caused them so much pain.

"What are you staring at? It's just a wound, heal it." She stated bluntly.

He sighed and cocked an eyebrow at her, piercing her with a curious gaze. "What's really bothering you? And don't try to hide it this time."

Kagome stared at him and moved her head to look down. She didn't really want to explain it, but she couldn't lie to him because he could tell, and she couldn't tell him 'nothing' because he would never drop the subject. "That Kira…she acts like she knows you really well. I don't know why that bothers me, but it does."

He laughed and moved his hand to the back of her head to pull her closer to him. He purred slightly and started places light butterfly kisses on her shoulders while he talked. "Are you worried about that? I've known her all my life, and she's been a really good friend of mine for years. Besides, she's dating Shippo."

"Still…" She ran her hand lazily through his hair and pressed her chin against his shoulder to stare at the wall behind them. "Still, I get the feeling that she gets a little, jealous maybe, whenever I'm around. That's the feeling that emits from her."

He moved closer to the edge of her shoulder. "Don't worry about her; we three had been friends for a long time. She probably just doesn't really like the fact that the 'three musketeer' routine is breaking up, even though it hasn't really been together like it used to be years ago." He continued to kiss down her shoulder and was now moving down her left arm. "Besides…" He pulled her arm away from her body and glanced up at her with a smirk. "The bite on your shoulder proves that I have chosen you, so just ignore her."

Her hand gripped his shoulder and she stared at him. "How are you going to heal it?"

He smiled. "I'm trying something different. If for some reason it hurts, claw the hell out of my shoulders, ok?"

She looked down. "Uh…ok?" _It's going to hurt? Why is he doing it that way then?_

Inuyasha snorted and put a hand on the back of her head, forcing her to lay her cheek on his shoulder so she didn't watch. His hand grabbed the wrist of the arm that was wounded and pulled her arm straight and more towards him so that he could have more access to her wound. When he felt the spring of hesitation in her, he slowly began to purr, almost as if reassuring her, and he felt her relax instantaneously.

She kept her head turned away with her arm still gripping him tightly around his shoulder and relaxed against his warmth, inhaling the scent that was distinctly Inuyasha's. It struck her as wild and that thing that belonged to males only. It was incredibly relaxing, and she closed her eyes to drift in that land between sleep and awareness.

He continued to kiss down her arm until he got near the wound and then seemed to stop for a minute. The only thing she felt when he worked with it was a warm sensation and a slight stinging, but Inuyasha kept her from moving by holding her wrist in one hand and lodging the other completely around her shoulders to keep her body molded to his. She kept her thoughts elsewhere and moaned slightly, feeling his purr increase in both volume and strength. She smirked. _Awe, how sweet…_

This continued for a food fifteen minutes before the sensation stopped and Inuyasha's gripped loosened on her. He pulled her arm around and let it go so that she could rest it on his shoulder while slowly raising her head. It was now completely healed, and there was no evidence that the wound had ever existed. To test it, she flexed it and moved it back and forth, but it caused no pain.

Inuyasha's hands found their way to her hips, lazily holding her against him. "Do you feel better now?"

She nodded and purposefully tangled her hands in his hair. "Yea, I guess so."

"Hmph, that's convincing." He stated.

"Well sorry, I'm drowsy. If there's one thing you're good at it's putting me to sleep."

"Should I be insulted by that?"  
She had to think about it, but shook her head. "No, not this time. If we're arguing and I say something like that then take it the way you usually do." She leaned her forehead on him and began to almost think herself to sleep, but Inuyasha's chuckling managed to snap her out of it.

"What the hell are you laughing at?"

"Would you like to take a nap?" He mused.

Kagome looked down. "I'd _like _to, but I guess I can't. I couldn't sleep right with all these demons wanting me dead."

"Why not? I'm watching you."

"I still can't sleep. Not like it's anything personal, it's a mental thing. Besides, I miss too much when I sleep."

He sighed. She was acting exactly like him, only she was human and no sleep was actually bad for her. She couldn't stand the fact of missing something because she was a little tired, that would simply drive her up the wall with all sorts of thoughts and accusations. Besides, she didn't want to think of someone watching her sleep, like she knew that Naraku had been watching her do a lot of things that she didn't realize until it was too late.

"You should really go to sleep, it's not good for you to stay up all the time. And I haven't seen you eat in a while, either."

She shook her head and gripped his shoulders as she climbed off him. He almost growled, but kept an obnoxious look on his face that said he was reading right through her. His arms kept his breaths in check while he tightened his hold on his chest, and leaning back, he made sure he got the greatest view of her standing. "_Must _you _argue _with EVERYTHING I suggest?"

"I told you that its nothing personal, and I meant it. I mean, you don't like to sleep either, that's probably part of it." She bent down and reached for her coat.

"Leave it off." He asked pleadingly.

Kagome glanced at him. "What for?"

"Because I like it when you're not hiding every last view of skin. I like it when no one's around, anyway."

Kagome smiled. "Why not? You do it."

Inuyasha shrugged. "My skin's not as pretty as yours. And you never said anything about something like that."

"Hmph, well you're always telling me to 'put a cork in it'. I'll keep your words in mind. In fact, I should have you write them down to use them for later."

"Yea, right, like I'm really going to do that." She threw her coat at him and pulled a gun out of it's sheathe, sitting in his leather chair rather unladylike so that she could inspect it. "Do you lock that room downstairs?"

"Sometimes, it's not right now."

"I'm going to go down there for a while. I need to shoot at something."

"Is Sango going with you?"

"Of course, and must you make someone watch me twenty-four seven?"

He began a familiar process of rubbing his temples to calm the pressure. "I'm taking precautions. No one is going to take you from me and live, and I mean it with all my burning soul." He stopped moving and looked up at her. "When you finish whatever you're doing, come back up here so you can eat and sleep."

She snorted. "What, will that make you feel better?"

"Yes, actually, it would. It would make me feel like I'm taking better care of you." 

Kagome rolled her eyes. "_WHY_ must Sango go with me? I mean, I'm the second in command, and I was going to have her come with me anyway but it's not like I don't have buttons that will make your ears ring until tomorrow."

"Oh, shit, I know that you're the second, but Sango is more apt to grab the button and actually push it so that I can assist you when there's something that you two can't handle. You, on the other hand, are way too bull headed to do something sensible like that."

Kagome stood and walked to stand in front of him, ignoring the last comment. "When will all of this horrible guarding stop? I don't mind you watching me, but making sure that I'm not alone at any waking minute is what gets me."

"When Sesshomaru is out of our way, and Naraku is dead, and Kouga is staked to a tree somewhere, then you will be able to do whatever you please. UNTIL then, don't get pissed off at me. I'm still the boss around here."

"I'll have to remember that, dear." She stated quietly. She stood and grabbed her coat, giving him a quick kiss when he grabbed her arm and pulled her back, then slung her coat over her shoulder and walked out of the room in pursuit of Sango.

Inuyasha watched the door close behind her and sighed without taking his eyes off of it. He tapped his claws against his knees and smirked. "My God, what a woman."

*~*~^_^~*~*

Sango did a spin in mid-air, coming around and attacking Kagome with her hands in different areas. Kagome managed to block the blows to her face and arms, but the kick to her stomach was unavoidable, and she did a back-hand-spring away from her, landing on her feet to come running at her with another attack.

She completely turned her hips into a kick that just about hit Sango's forehead. "Come on, you're not hitting high enough! Higher!" Sango jumped back a little, blocking another blow from Kagome's leg by grabbing it in her hands and spinning her around. She managed to bounce slightly while spinning and regained her balance in order to throw a punch at Sango when she was facing her again. It was once again blocked with the outer side of her forearm and this time, used against her with a blow to her stomach by the heal of Sango's foot. Everything moved so fast that Kagome just made a sound and jumped back, kneeling out of reach to regain her breath and cause an automatic break.

Miroku sat along the wall of the room, watching with interest as these two women engaged in a mild form of Karate with a little mix of kick boxing on a large mat. They wore nothing but their pants and sleeveless shirts, with straps wrapped around their palms and feet, and he guarded all their stuff while he observed from a safe distance. Sango was much more experienced in Karate and Kick-boxing, but with some of the moves Kagome was making (even though Sango was blocking them) it made him want to encourage her to show some of what she learned in self defense class.

When Kagome had talked to Sango, she had been told that she needed a good physical battle to drive the thoughts of everyone wanting her dead out of her mind. Sango had also suggested that she teach Kagome a little about what she did before she got her hands on a gun, and without hesitation Kagome accepted. Miroku, with all the goodness of his heart, just _had _to come and make sure that neither of the women got hurt during this event, because he had seen what both women could do with their hands and was sure that they could do a lot of harm to each other. Besides, watching women with incredible strength fight was a very attractive event, and he got to be the only member of the audience, which made it all the more exciting.

Of course, he knew that Sango was going easy on Kagome, for actually harming her would do wonders for her when Inuyasha found out. He would probably call it horseplay and something that she shouldn't have been harmed in, and then take pleasure in breaking the bones in their bodies whether Kagome liked it or not. Even though Kagome had powerful blows, she just wasn't as fast as Sango, therefore Sango hadn't obtained any blows and Kagome had obtained five.

Kagome glanced up at Sango while holding her stomach. "Damn, how long have you been doing that?"

"For a couple of years. You have to know a little about it, but I'd say that you've never really practiced it."

She nodded. "Yea…that sounds about right."

Sango helped her stand and brushed herself off, taking a glance at Miroku. "I believe that Houshi-sama and I would like to see something that you learned from your classes."

Kagome grinned wickedly. "Ok, but I need a volunteer."

"Just beat me up, I did give you a couple of blows to the stomach that I hope you won't tell Inuyasha about."

She nodded. "Alrighty." She tapped her lip impatiently and looked at her. "What do you want me to show you? Like give me a for instance."

Miroku stood and walked closer. "Kagome, show me, using Sango of course since she volunteered, what you would do if a person walked up behind you in a car parking lot and grabbed a hold of you."

She nodded. "Ok, Sango, grab me."

Sango walked up behind her and wrapped one arm around her neck and the other around her waist. Kagome bent down and grabbed the arm on her neck, basically jerking it off and pulling her over her back to slam her back into the floor. But more slowly, Kagome got down and put a knee on her stomach and a held her hand against her throat, both women panting heavily. "Now…if I had a knife…I would have it pressed against your neck, and in a car parking lot, you would have been heavily damaged by hitting the cement."

Sango leaned her head back a little more. "Shit, that's a good move. Miroku's turn; I want to see more. This kind of move might even stun Inuyasha."

Miroku smiled. "No thanks, Kagome will probably kill me. I'm not as strong as you, Sango."

"Wimp."

"Yes ma'am."

Kagome snorted. "Come on, Miroku, I'll show you one. It'll be the act of someone assaulting me from the front."

He laughed shortly. "What, are you going to stab me?"

"Aren't you curious?"

He shrugged. "As long as Inuyasha doesn't yell at me for possibly throwing out your back, I guess I can risk it. I am rather curious now, just don't hurt me too badly, please?"

Kagome just smirked, and it worried him slightly, but eventually she nodded. "I won't hurt you. Now I want you to stand in front of me and don't do anything. This will be like someone threatening me verbally and my reaction to it before he can actually do harm to me."

Miroku nodded shyly and stood in front of her. He expected plenty of pain, but he was still very curious.

Kagome smiled and popped her neck with three loud cracks. She stood straight and stretched her back by moving her arms. Then she cracked her knuckles, and Miroku felt sweat forming on his forehead because of the building anticipation.

"Ano, Kagome, can you hurry?"

She nodded, and before he knew what happened she had kicked his ankles out from underneath him. In mid air, she grabbed his shoulders and turned him over so that he fell on his stomach, and he hit the ground with a loud thud. But before he could react, she had her knee grinding into his back and her hand on his head, making sure to keep his face in the ground. "Ah, I liked doing that much better."

"I'm sure you do." Miroku stated, but it was slightly muffled by the mat. "Kagome, please get off me. I am no longer curious."

She smiled and got off, giving him a hand to his feet. "Well, those are some of the things that I had learned. I can also beat the crap out of someone if needed, but I don't think that either of you want to see that."

They both shook their heads and laughed nervously. Nope, no one wanted that treatment.

Kagome stretched and walked over to her coat, grabbing the gun that she had polished earlier. "I'm going to start shooting now."

"I'll catch up to you in a minute." Sango stated, rubbing her back. "I'm going to recover."

"Ok." Kagome slipped her coat and shoes on and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Miroku helped Sango by placing his hands on her shoulders, slowly massaging her tense muscles. "You know, the only thing I wonder about is what she would do if kidnapped by a gang of people."

"Kagome is intelligent, she probably has her ways." They both continued to put their coats on when the sound of a gunshot rang throughout the building. Miroku was instantly worried. "Sango…we could hear that gunshot."

Sango only looked worried after she realized what that meant. "You're right, she isn't in the soundproof walls." More shots rang out and then stopped, and by that time Sango and Miroku were running to the door. Visions of things impossibly horrible and frightening were going through both heads. But they both hoped more than anything that Kagome was all right.

They got into the shot room and looked around, only to find that no one was in there. It was quiet, too quiet, and something didn't ring right from the beginning. She had to be in here, just had to be. They felt their hearts speed up and they began searching the different stalls urgently.

Sango gasped in a different stall after two minutes of searching. "Holy shit! Miroku, come here and help me!" He ran over to her stall and found something that really frightened him, yet relieved him slightly. Unconscious on the floor was Shippo, still bound and gagged with the wires still in place. Sango was checking urgently for a pulse, and after finding one, she relaxed slightly. "He's alive."

"But if he's here…"

Sango let a tear fall down her cheek. She was terrified of so many things at that moment, and she didn't like it. "Oh God, that bastard has her, Miroku. He's kidnapped her."

Miroku sighed deeply and pulled the piece of paper resting in Shippo's jacket. He opened it, and he slowly read it aloud. "I've still kept my promise, he's been returned unharmed. SLY." He folded it and put it back on Shippo. "It's exactly what we think it is. He's kidnapped her, and I don't know what Inuyasha is going to do."

They were silent. Both were very scared. Kagome was in grave danger, and Naraku definitely was twisted like Kikyo was, and probably even more. The fact that he had an attraction to her is what was really frightening about that. Who knows what a person like him would think of to do to her?

But what scared them the most was that this sort of thing would anger Inuyasha so much, or scare him, that he would kill the messenger and destroy anything that got in his way. In fact, in the old days, he _would _have without second thought. He would be so shocked he wouldn't know what to do, and he'd blame himself for everything. He would become his old self again unless they got Kagome back.

So hesitantly, ignoring what they knew to be the oncoming outburst of anger and pain, ignoring all the fear that they both had held for this horrible event, even ignoring the fact that they may die within the next few minutes, both Miroku and Sango worked to wake Shippo so they could break the news to Inuyasha. All hell was about to let loose, and there was nothing else they could do about it except hope that Inuyasha didn't murder them for leaving her, even for the slightest amount of time.

For them, this was it. One of the darkest hours that they could have imagined right now. It seemed that when they got Kagome back, someone was going to die, and if Inuyasha didn't already kill them before they got the chance to fight, then chances are that they were going to take Naraku down. After all, everyone knows that Inuyasha is at his deadliest in the darkest of hours.

*~*^_^*~*

(A/N-Don't hate me, I promise that Kagome will be alright! And Sango and Miroku, too, trust me. Just keep in mind that everything I do is for a reason. Keep reviewing, and out of one of my thoughts, I'd like to know what some of you think is going to happen in my story. Tell me what you think.)

****

PS-Thanks for the reviews! They are all wonderful!


	15. The Brink of Insanity

Chapter 15-The brink of Insanity

Kagome fought even harder against the metal bounds she found herself in. She wasn't even quite sure what had happened to get her into this mess in the first place, and despite all she had learned and taught Miroku and Sango just then she _still _ended up in the car with the one person she didn't want to be around. She'd much rather be with Sesshomaru at the moment, but _no,_ she had to get stuck with the demon that _didn't _want her dead.

The handcuffs that held her were solid metal, no chains or anything. It was just one piece of metal, placed so tightly around her hands that they were on the brink of numbing from loss of circulation. The only other thing that was constricting her at all was the seat belt that he had forced her to wear so that she didn't move from the seat. _Boy, for a demon that really wants me he sure isn't showing it to me. Ugh…_

The demon Naraku sat across from her in the limo, keeping a smirk on his face the entire time. He looked incredibly like other people; he didn't stand out like Sesshomaru and Inuyasha, or even Kouga for that matter. If he walked down the street, no one was going to turn and point him out. The only thing that was creepy was his smile, and the way he stared at her. That alone sent chills down her spine.

He had long black hair, but it was braided neatly and kept out of the way. He wore a black business suit that seemed freshly pressed, and shoes polished to perfection. But despite his neat appearance, Kagome still didn't like anything about him, and her instincts were powering so high she feared her brain was going to explode.

On both sides of her sat men in large black suits that reminded her more of the men in black then people in a gang. They didn't really move, other than once in a while putting their hands on her shoulder to make sure she didn't try to get out of her seat. She didn't like that very much.

Kagome really, _really_ wanted to go back to the club. Naraku continued to stare at her, and it drove her nuts. She finally couldn't take it anymore. "What the fuck do you think you're doing, you bastard?"

He smirked even more. "I can now see why Inuyasha kept you in his gang. One sentence and you sound exactly like him. I shall have to break you of that habit."

That earned him a hard and fast kick to the nose, but he wasn't all that fazed by it. Kagome's foot had moved so quickly and hit his nose with all the force she could muster up, but all he did was grin at her. It also achieved the men sitting beside her to grab her shoulders and pull her more against the seat, roughly digging their nails into her shoulders.

"Let me off these handcuffs and take me back right now." She said dangerously.

"No." He said simply. "You won't be going anywhere. Your hands are quite dangerous. They will be staying in the handcuffs."

"Bastard."

"Take note Kagome, that I traded for you and that's all there is to it. You belong to me now."

"I belong to Inuyasha and Inuyasha alone. And giving Inuyasha back something that you had stolen from him hardly counts as a trade."

"Inuyasha will not find you. He will go completely insane because of that mark that you two have and he will up end killing every member of his gang."

She struggled against the arms that held her. "Yea? Well I don't care what you do to me, I'm not going to submit to you. I know what you want, I can read your mind, and your not getting any of it."

He grinned, and for a demon he had relatively normal teeth. "We shall see, my little Miko. We shall see."

"Like hell we will."

He laughed. "Relax, Kagome. I will probably not harm you." He scooted forward, and before Kagome could move the freaking men in black held her in place. _Damn it to hell…_

He ran a cold hand over her cheek and she twitched madly. With the arms of the men beside her still lodged uncomfortably on her arms, she couldn't move away from him. She had thought seriously about biting him, but knew she would be crushed if she did by the call of her instincts. So she could only glare at him and allow him to touch her face. She'd only react if he tried something completely out of proportion.

Naraku smiled when she didn't react and gripped her chin. "Why don't you show me some of your power, Kagome? Bring some of it out."

Kagome jerked her face out of his grip, resisting the urge to spit at him because that would have been incredibly childish and stupid. "And what? Turn you on with Miko powers? I'm not stupid, Naraku, I won't cooperate with anything, I don't care what you do to me."

"Inuyasha has poisoned your mind. He has made you witty but stupid."

"I'm not stupid, I know you won't hurt me that badly because you would have done it by now. And even if you would hurt me badly, I won't submit to you. I'm mated already, find some Miko whore on the side of the road."

He laughed. "If it were only that easy, Kagome. If it were only that easy." He leaned forward and pressed his elbows into his knees. "I don't care if you are mated or not, that won't stop me."

She growled at him, scrunching up her nose as if he reeked of danger. When I get back to the club, I'm going to have to have Inuyasha buy me some fangs.

"You see, Kagome, Miko's tend to keep their powers hidden unless greatly needed. When Kikyo had entered your mind and put that spell on you your barrier was let down enough for me to sense the little aura that shone through, and ever since then I have had my eye on you. I knew that you would destroy Kikyo, and personally I am relieved. She was a little too twisted for my tastes, although her power was great."

Kagome snorted. "You're one to talk about being twisted." One of the men on her arm tightened their grip, and she could do nothing more than glare at them.

"Kagome, you just as well not resist me. I won't do any harm to either you or Inuyasha if you cooperate."

"That's sly of you, but you won't agree on no harm to all my friends. I know all about you."

"Hmm...I suppose you know more than you seem to. I'm glad I decided to bring you here."

"Shove it, you only want me to see Inuyasha suffer, and it's not going to work. He'll find me and kill you."

"He won't risk your life." He stated blandly.

Kagome eyed him carefully, trusting that there was a threat underneath his words. "Meaning that you will tell him you will hurt me."

"If all else fails, then yes, I will."

"You bastard."

"You have said that several times. I have yet to see you do something threatening while your hands have been captured in these invincible cuffs."

She scoffed. _Might as well find out some stuff. _"Since we're talking about me, then tell me what you plan to do to me."

The devilish gleam in his eyes would have sent a normal person running for the hills, but Kagome's face remained emotionless. "I must have you. All of you, meaning you and your power." No emotion in those words, but the meaning stung.

She bared her teeth as if showing him fangs that she didn't have. "If you even try to touch me Inuyasha will kill you. I belong to him and him alone. You're one sick bastard, I would have been better off with Kikyo."

"I agree. Kikyo was a lot less organized with the way she did things, she didn't plan them out. I have everything planned ahead of time because I don't like to not be prepared. Besides, I have a reputation to maintain, and it has just improved with the addition of you."

She gaped. "That's repulsive. Vulgar even…"

"I've been called much worse, Kagome, much worse." He stared at her carefully, as if seeing something that she couldn't. "I strongly believe that you are being tracked."

"What?"  
"You have something on you…boys, hold her still. We have to rid her of everything electronic. She is finally in my clutches and I am _not _going to let that dog bastard have her back."

Kagome was going to retort with something that could possibly get her killed, but she gulped as the men grabbed her hands and shoulders, pinning her back against the seat. Naraku moved uncomfortably closer to her and kneeled in front of her with a small smirk. "This won't hurt a bit if you hold still."

She looked down at her lap and hoped to God that Inuyasha was looking for her. He wasn't about to give up; of course she wondered what he would do when Sango and Miroku informed him of the problem. Her eyes widened.

__

Oh my…Inuyasha, please don't hurt them. Just find me and everything will be alright. She glanced up at the demon that she was learning to despise more and more and scowled at his face. _Oh how I wish I had my hands right now…_

*~*^_^*~*

Sango rubbed her arms for the third time that night and Miroku's grip on her hand tightened. They were riding in a limo, their own limo, to assist Inuyasha in his citywide search. EVERY member of the gang was somewhere in the city, looking urgently around, but whether it was on motorcycle or in a limo was varied by the person.

Kira and Shippo had ridden with Inuyasha to make sure that he kept himself under control. He had nearly lost it when he found out what had happened, and he couldn't afford to do that again. Now that he had his senses back, he would find his mate, and take out all the rage surging through his veins on a certain demon who kidnapped her. He had promised Kagome that she wouldn't be taken from him, and since that promise had been broken, he was going to get her back without any problems.

Miroku rubbed Sango's shoulder again. Her complexion was creamy white, and she was shaking immensely. Of course he hadn't expected less after her confrontation with Inuyasha. "Please relax, Sango, you're going to go into shock if you keep that up."  
Sango laughed, and it wasn't pleasant. "You try giving the bad news to Inuyasha and then having a laptop hurled at you by the strongest person in the world along with assortments of words that I don't remember ever existing. I just barely made it out of his way until Kira and Shippo managed to hold him back long enough for him to calm down and think clearly. Then he started to make sense when he yelled at me, and even then I was near tears."

"Sango, he didn't mean to do it."

"Did you even hear what he said to me? I was supposed to be watching her, Miroku. He _wanted_ to kill me, he really did."

"Just forget about it now." He looked down at his laptop and talked into his microphone so that Shippo could hear. "The wallet that Kagome is wearing is telling us her location. Tell Inuyasha that she is still moving down Main Street at the moment, meaning he hasn't gotten very far."

"Right."

"The color is green. Naraku hasn't harmed her, but he may."

"Oh…ok…"

Miroku put the computer down and looked almost sympathetic at absolutely nothing. "How's Inuyasha?"

"Uh…well, let's just say I don't expect anything nice to come out of that trap."

Miroku smiled slightly. _Clever, Shippo, very clever. _"He's sitting right there listening?"

"Affirmative."

"So how are you doing, Shippo?"

"Well, other than my throat and joints being sore, nothing's really wrong." It fuzzed slightly, but Miroku could hear the angry voice of Inuyasha saying "Get your fucking ass off the communication device! We are not going to use it for goddamn chitchat, now tell that bastard bye and give me directions!"

"Yes sir…Uh, Miroku, you said Main street?"

"Yea."

"Ok. Over and out." Then he fuzzed out, and Miroku turned off his microphone.

Sango glanced at him. "So how's Inuyasha?"

"He yelled at Shippo. It sounds to me like he's become heartless again, but then again, Kagome's not around him. When we get her back, thing's will turn back to normal."

She gasped. "Miroku, the screen…"

He glanced at the screen and noted that Kagome's tracker had stopped at what appeared to be the middle of the road. It didn't move, meaning Kagome was down, she was stuck somewhere, the car was stopped or the wallet had been removed and thrown at random. He hoped it wasn't the last one because that meant that all means of tracing her would be lost. Miroku immediately tapped into the microphone again. "We have something here."

The sound of an angry Inuyasha moving in the background was heard. It sounded like he had ripped the headphones away from Shippo. "What the fuck do you mean?"

"The censor has stopped in the middle of the road, sir. Either the car has stopped, they've dumped her out, or they are removing her special articles and dumping them out on the road."

"Shit…get down that road and find out what's going on. And if your limo's not speeding then I'll tear your throat out."

"Yes sir. Over." He turned off the microphone again and scratched his head. "Yea, he's being heartless right now." He picked up the limo's phone and told the driver what to do, and in a matter of minutes he could feel the limo speeding carefully down the road so it didn't upset Inuyasha.  
"Can you blame him? I mean towards me, especially, if Kagome didn't care about me as a friend at all then he probably would have killed me."

"You're being way too hard on yourself. We have to remember that our friend is not human, and a mate to a demon is a lot more serious than a wife to a husband. They take it very, very seriously, one's all they'll ever have. They don't have more than one mate, if he lost her then he would never mate again."

"I just don't want to die, that's all. I mean, you were there, I told her I'd be there in a minute. I swear she wasn't even out there for ten seconds before we heard the first shot."

"Naraku's sly."

The phone in the limo rang and Miroku picked it up quickly. "Yea?"  
"Sir, we're down main."

"Great, pull over."

"Yes sir."

The limo pulled over the side of the road at about the same area that the signal was. There were no cars around, but a series of electronics did rest in the middle of the road, and he ran out to pick everything he found up before a random car ran them over.

After he had collected every last piece of the things in the road, he brought them inside his limo and examined them. There was a lot there to collect, and none of it was relieving.

Inuyasha opened the door and stepped into the limo. There was a light pained look in his eyes, but it was hidden beneath his newly formed angry expression as he bent over the pile. "What do we got?" He asked quietly.

Miroku picked up the assortments of stuff. "We have her cell phone, he wallet, her emergency button…and her guns and two of her knives."  
Inuyasha groaned and buried his face in his hands. He felt so hopeless and weak, and he just knew that Kagome was relying on him to save her. "Shit…shit, shit, shit, shit…"

Sango gasped. "That bastard!"

Miroku gave her a questioning look and she pointed at the emergency button. "Kagome always kept that in her back pocket, and the thing is so skinny he would have basically had to frisk her to have found it."

A loud sound that sounded almost like a gun had caused their attention. Inuyasha had punched a hole through the bottom of the limo and his eyes were seemed glazed over as they stared straight ahead of him, panting heavily. "If…that…stupid bastard…touches her…I am going…to loose it."

Miroku swallowed. "I may be out of line, but try to hold your demon in check, Inuyasha. The last thing Kagome needs is for you to lose control."

He put a hand on his chest. A sudden feeling of urgency and anger swept over him, and he knew it wasn't his own. _I can feel her…I know what she's feeling. _"I can't loose her, Miroku, I just can't. I would never be sane again." He admitted. There were more pain in his words than he had ever heard anyone use in his life, but at the moment he didn't care if his pride bore a hole in his side. They would tell everyone here that he didn't plan on giving up, and he was going to have everyone working hard on the job. Everyone would know eventually what Kagome meant to him and he'd be damned if he'd let anyone sleep on the job. No, no one rests until Kagome is safe and in his arms again.

Shippo and Kira opened the door next and ushered Inuyasha out. When he slowly walked out panting and clenching his probably sprained wrist to himself (remember he's half demon, a normal person would have a shattered hand), Sango and Miroku followed as she led them to the road. "Inuyasha, can you smell it?"

He tilted his head up and inhaled a good amount of air. "The only thing I can smell is motor oil and water." He stated puzzled.

"Precisely. There's water up here, and if you focus your nose enough on the water, you can tell that it is very fresh ocean water. The freshest smell besides Kagome's objects in the road."

He closed his eyes and inhaled. "So what you're saying is you think that Kagome's being held captive by the ocean?"

"I believe that it could mean that's a at least where Naraku came from when he took her. Naraku may even have an ocean layer somewhere. If my nose is correct, that is. But it's rarely wrong."

Inuyasha could feel another strange and unwelcome feeling flow through him. It was a feeling that she had been assaulted, touched and manhandled, and Inuyasha grew so angry that he saw white. _NO ONE _was allowed to manhandle Kagome, and if Naraku had touched her then Inuyasha was going to make sure that he paid very painfully. In fact, ripping the bastard's balls off sounded really good, as well as listening to him scream in agony.

"Inuyasha!" Shippo cried, pointing at his hands. Inuyasha had dug claws into his palms and now a steady rhythm of blood dripped onto the ground. He pulled his claws out of his hands and glared at the half moons on his palms as if that alone would stop the bleeding. Kira put her hand on his shoulder and watched his face. "Inuyasha, what's wrong?"

"When I get my hands on that bastard I will throttle him and dig my claws so far into his flesh that I can feel his spine before I grab it and rip it apart and…"

Miroku sighed while Inuyasha continued on with his threats. Kira and even Shippo looked slightly puzzled, so he felt an explanation was owed. "Inuyasha can feel what Kagome is feeling. Naraku must be pulling something."

"PULLING SOMETHING?" Inuyasha snorted. "That bastard is VIOLATING her!" He growled and fisted his hands so that the muscles on his arms flexed to their fullest. It was clear that he was holding on by only a thread. "My blood is boiling…"  
"Keep it under control, Inuyasha!" Miroku pleaded. "You can't loose control, not here on the streets of New York city. It would draw too much attention."  
Sango nodded. "Yea, attention is the last thing you need."  
"But attention's all you're going to get." A familiar voice turned all heads, and there stood Sesshomaru on top of a nearby van with half of his gang scattered out either on the buildings or on other cars. Among them was Kouga, and he had a rather large machine gun pointed at Inuyasha. Everyone growled and glared at him, the biggest traitor since Kikyo had hit town.

All but Sesshomaru had a large gun in their hand, pointed directly at the leader. "Where's Higurashi?" He asked quietly, but the threat underneath the words was clearly noted.

Everyone's guns were out and pointed at the Sesshomaru's gang. The men on the trucks looked a little more menacing than his last bunch. "Where's the girl, Inuyasha? The Miko bitch that annihilated Kikyo."

"Kagome saved me a shitload of trouble, and I'm not going to tell you where she's at, so FUCK off!"

Sesshomaru's head raised in an attempt to seem more intimidating. "I now hear that I'm not the only one after her. I'd like to kill her before Naraku uses her."

Inuyasha shot at Sesshomaru once, hitting him in the side, but the blow unaffected him. "Where the hell does that bastard work, Sesshomaru? Where's he at!"

Fluffy smirked. "Even I don't know where Naraku hides out during the day. All I know is that if that bastard was after Rin with the same intentions as that Miko bitch, I would never let go of her for every waking minute that he is still breathing. However, he is after Kagome and Kagome only, and therefore before he takes her I want to kill her. So where is your bitch, Inuyasha?"

Another shot rang out. "I'm _not _telling you. I'm busy, so beat it!"

"Very well then." Sesshomaru looked to Kouga and nodded, who in turn smirked. "FIRE!" Then all the members began to shoot, and so Inuyasha's gang had to defend themselves and shoot back.

Miroku managed to pull out his handgun and shot Kouga in the shoulder, only accomplishing an injury to him but not stopping him completely as he directed all of his shots toward him. Miroku turned towards Inuyasha's direction. "Inuyasha, we have to go!"

He was having problems of his own as most of the gang was trying to take him down. "NO SHIT SHERLOCK! How do you propose we do that? We can't turn our backs because they'll kill us!"

"We can back into the limo!"

Inuyasha got in front of his gang and motioned for Miroku to take everyone into the limo while getting their last shots in. They couldn't sit here and fight with Fluffy anyway; they had to find Kagome before Naraku handled her any farther.

Inuyasha being the last one standing and obtaining only a few shots, he was easily able to take out five of the members and drop himself into the limo as Miroku and Sango pulled him in and slammed the door for it to drive away.

After a minute of regaining his breath, Inuyasha was back on his feet and sitting down in the limo's seats as if he hadn't been shot thrice, staring down at Kagome's things on the floor. _He left her weaponless, and I know that he's been touching her. Oh he better hope that the last thing he sees involves my fists or a knife, because I am not going to take him out quickly. I'll make the pain and agony worth my while._

*~*~^_^~*~*

Kagome had now been gagged, and her legs were strapped to the limo's floor so that they didn't move. Naraku still sat across from her in the limo, but for once his attention wasn't focused on her. No, his attention was focused on her coat that he had managed to rip off her, looking for anything that could possibly be leading Inuyasha to her at the very moment.

He appeared blissfully unaware that their bond would help slightly, and that by now Inuyasha knew _everything _that Naraku had done to her. She knew he did, because focusing on him she could tell that he was so infuriated that nothing at all would hold him back from killing the bastard. And somehow he would more than likely see to that.

Naraku had pushed too many buttons with Kagome, however, and the result was why she ended up tied up so much she was surprised she could even think. She didn't care, though, because where she was brought up, no one, and she meant NO ONE, was aloud to fondle her without her consent…like a certain bastard demon she knew that happened to pretend to 'accidentally' do it when he removed her coat. The men in black were the only things holding her back from killing him at that moment, or at least she thought so. But she wasn't joking; she would have done anything she could if it would have killed him in the end.

Since she couldn't insult him, she was allowed plenty of time to think. She began to wonder if there was more to him than met the eye. Her instincts were screaming at her, telling her to get away from him as soon as possible or kill him with something long and sharp, but there was no way this mess could be gotten out of without her hands free. She had delivered a very hard kick to his nose, and even if she weren't demon it would have probably knocked Inuyasha out (or at least that's what she had learned in her self defense classes). Yet he smirked the whole time and acted unaffected by it, almost as if that wasn't a real body that she kicked. Almost as if he was smirking because it affected another person…

Kagome shook that thought immediately from her mind. _No, that's bull. I have never heard of that happening. _It was highly unlikely, and her senses told her that probably wasn't the case. So what was it? Something had to be this man's weak spot…something could give her a clue on how to turn him off.

Perhaps Naraku was immortal, and physical harm cannot come to the body he used. That his life came from only an _object_, or even a smaller demon. She had heard of that happening in Feudal Japan. She even thought of the possibility that he was a dead ghost walking around, but after he had touched her she doubted that death could provide any warmth at all in those hands.

She remembered a demon she had read about from ancient Japan that was called Yura of the Hair, for she had powers of the hair of the dead. And when she was battled, no one could figure out why this woman couldn't die. With every cut the hair that she lived for immediately replaced every slash that formed upon her body. It took forever for anyone to actually follow the hair with their eyes and discover that hidden in a red skull was a comb, and in essence, that was all Yura really was. Once they destroyed the comb, she was gone for good.

She glanced up at him with nothing on her face. The demon in front of her was still absorbed in searching her coat, and she was glad that he wasn't paying too much attention because she didn't want to give any hints of her thinking of how to do him in. Kagome inwardly smirked as her instincts for once brought up the fact that it seemed she was on the right track. _Yes, he is immortal, it's got to be! But what is the life source?_

Kagome searched him with her eyes, finding everything to be harder than wanted. Nothing that she could see proved to be a life source or a sense of immortality. Heck, nothing on him looked even remotely useful. Nothing that he had would provide her with the correct information, and thusly, she gave up and just glared at him. She'd find out sooner or later what was going on, hopefully right after Inuyasha found her.

He sat down the coat and stared at her. "You appear clean now. I'm betting that wallet had something in it."

Her eyes narrowed, clearly telling him that he was a bastard without actually saying anything.

He chuckled. "My, my, I don't think you like me anymore judging by the look in your eyes." His response was a humanly growl, but it still did not deter him. "When we get to the club, my dear Miko, I may have to keep something over your mouth the whole time so that I can hear more of _that _lovely sound."

She struggled against her bounds, attempting to pull her feet out of the straps. _Oh…let me at him! LET ME AT THAT BASTARD!_

She suddenly could feel Inuyasha's feelings again, like he was tugging on a rope from the end of her brain. He was overcome and angry, and it was that instant that Kagome realized that he could almost hear her thoughts. Perhaps…an idea formed in her head. Maybe if she focused them enough she could send direct messages to him, like a form of telepathy. She almost shrugged. _Hell, it's worth a try. It might even help Inuyasha find me._

She glanced at Naraku, who was now pulling a ringing cell phone out of his pocket. She closed her eyes and relaxed slightly, focusing all her strength into her thoughts, using her Miko abilities to find and direct her thoughts to Inuyasha's aura. She had never tried this before, but perhaps she could accomplish the unknown. As far as she had known Miko's didn't date other people with auras, but she would be the first.

She kept her eyes and fists clenched shut. _Oh, please let this work…_

*~*~^_^~*~*

Inuyasha was slowly growling in his seat, clenching the pillow that Miroku had handed to him. Ever since the last feeling that had washed over him he had the urge to dig his claws into flesh. At the time he had thought this his hands were resting on his knees. Needless to say, the floor of the limo had obtained a few bloodstains and Miroku was generous enough to help him without saying anything. Of course he wouldn't thank the monk, but he was satisfied that the man knew what he was doing.

It was the most terrible thing he had ever felt. He knew almost what she was thinking, like it was just barely too blurry to make out, but he was helpless because he couldn't stop her from feeling those feelings. He didn't like not being with her at all times, as she would soon find out when he got her back. She'd probably get very sick of him very fast.

_Inuyasha…_He nearly jumped out of his skin. He heard her! He could actually hear her this time! But how was that possible? "Kagome…" He whispered.

Everyone glanced at him, but shook it off. They mistook it for him falling into the brink of insanity, and they'd let him stay there for a while as long as he wasn't screaming or angry. Sad, terribly sad, but true. Everyone feared him too much to worry about it right at the moment.

Kagome smirked, but kept her eyes closed. _I take it you heard me judging by your shocked feeling? You should try it, it's fun. Ignore everything else and focus everything you've got into your thoughts._

Inuyasha widened his eyes and looked around him, noticing Miroku glancing at him. "What the hell are you staring at? MIND YOUR OWN DAMN BUSINESS!" Miroku widened his eyes, nodded but glanced away, and Inuyasha decided to give it a try. He clenched his eyes shut and did the same thing that Kagome had done, putting every last ounce of himself into his thoughts.

**_Kagome? Does it work? _**

_Good, now I don't feel like I'm talking to myself. So what're you doing, Inuyasha?_

**What kind of stupid question is that? I'm trying to find you and that bastard that took you! What has he done to you?**

Nothing much, except he's got me tightly bound by the hands and my feet are now strapped to the floor, and oh yes, how can I forget that he had fondled me when he took off my coat?

****

WHAT! That bastard is SO DEAD! I swear I'll kill him…

Inuyasha, just find me, ok?

He sighed, feeling slightly calmer with the sound of her voice. **_Where are you? Can you see where you are?_**

Kagome had turned to look outside but found Naraku giving her rather curious glances. Still with her thoughts channeling to Inuyasha, she felt completely hopeless. _Shit…shit…shit…_

**What's going on?** Inuyasha grew worried. He opened his eyes to make sure that he wasn't being watched or anything, and once the coast was clear he closed them again.

Naraku had been staring at Kagome for some time after she had clenched her eyes shut. The phone call he had received wasn't anything at all worth his time. He had noticed Kagome making strange faces, almost as if she was listening to something, or to someone…"Kagome, my dear, what are you doing?"

She hadn't noticed it but her gag had been removed. She growled again. "None of your damn business! Leave me alone!"

He tsked at her. "Kagome, it's not a good idea to speak that way to me. We aren't even at the hide-out yet and you believe that you've been violated."

"You keep your filthy hands off me and I won't complain." She stated quietly.

Naraku tilted his head slightly to the side. "Who are you talking to? It's clear that you are visiting with someone by the looks on your face. Either that or you're recalling a conversation you had."

"Leave me the fuck alone." She said quietly.

Naraku sighed. "Jake, code blue, please."  
_Please? What the hell…_The next thing she knew a black bag similar to the one Inuyasha had used on her was placed over her head and tied tightly around her neck to the point of near circulation cut off. She could still breathe, thank the gods, but she started to feel slightly lightheaded. "You bastard!"

Inuyasha started growling deeply, and his claws bored their way into the side of his leg. **_Kagome, WHAT IN THE SEVEN HELLS IS HE DOING!_**

Kagome leaned back against the seat. _Great, now I can't see anything…_

**You can't see? What's going on?  
**He saw that I seemed to be talking to myself and when I yelled at him for it he tied a black sack over my head.

**He's not touching you is he? GOD HELP ME if he is…**

He's not right now, but the undercurrent of his voice has promised me that later.

Inuyasha sighed deeply and put his head in his hands. "Damnit…" **_I'll deal with him when I find you. Did you have any clue as to where you are or where you are going?_**

Nope, before he blindfolded me all I could see was some water. Like perhaps the ocean, but that's the only information I can give you.

**Well, I guess that's all we have to work with. That and this new crazy ass shit we're doing.**

I kinda like it; I can talk to you without seeing you. 

**They've got telephones that do that. I noticed that yours was dumped out on the road.**

He could feel her annoyance. _Yea, that bastard rid me of almost everything and tossed them out on the road. They had to completely strap me down to keep me from attacking him. The only thing he didn't take was the knife across my chest, but I doubt that I can ever use it. He seems pretty unaffected by my attacks. I mean hell, I gave a hell of a solid kick to his nose and all he could do was smile at me!_

Inuyasha had a hint that Naraku wouldn't be affected. People had tried to kill him before, but his lack of emotions for what should have been pain almost cleared it up and told them that he felt no pain. **_I can't believe I'm going to ask this of you, but please don't make him mad or anger him._**

What? Why?

**He's never been harmed by anything, you anger him and he attacks you then there's no way to stop him. He can't feel pain.**

Well I was wondering if he was immortal, like Yura of the hair before they destroyed the comb?

Inuyasha hadn't thought of that. **_You mean that he's got some sort of object that holds his life?_**

Either that or his mortality. I'm hoping his mortality so that we can find it, destroy it and then kill him painfully.

Inuyasha smiled for the first time since she had been kidnapped. **_Yea, I'd like that too. _**He glanced up at Miroku. "Miroku, our hunches were right. Kagome's being held somewhere by the ocean."

He turned and raised an eyebrow. "How do you know that for sure?"

"Kagome told me."

Sango widened her eyes. "He's actually done it. He's gone insane."

He growled and reached into his pocket as if he was going to pull out a gun. "Don't you even start with me. Kagome and I have found a way to take our bond to a new level. She's discovered something and now we can talk to each other through thinking."

Miroku looked genuinely surprised. "Like telepathy? I've never heard of a bond with a Miko giving you that."

"Me neither, but I think it helps that we both have powers."

"Inuyasha…" Sango stated amazed. "You don't sound worried about this anymore."

He looked down. "I guess since I can actually talk to her I know that she's alright, yet at the same time I am saving my rage outburst for when I see that bastard."

Miroku picked up the phone and told the driver to drive around by the ocean. After he set it down he glanced at Inuyasha. "Can she tell us the exact location?"

He shook his head. "Naraku has her blindfolded now, he did it after Kagome told him to leave her alone. All she can remember is the water."

Miroku sighed. "Well if you can talk to her, ask her what Naraku has done to her."

"What the hell does that have to do with anything? The most he's done to her is fondled her, and he's already lost his family jewels for that move. NOBODY touches my Kagome and lives to tell about it."

The monk cleared his throat and exchanged a distressed look with Sango. "Inuyasha, if he has already done that much to her then he probably plans to do more. Ask her, please. We have to know how much time we have, it would definitely help us."

Inuyasha sighed and closed his eyes. **_Kagome, what do you know about what Naraku plans to do with you?_**

He could feel her sigh deeply. _That repulsive creature _must_ have me, my powers and everything. He also told me that he didn't care if I was mated or not, that you weren't going to stop him in time._

**Fuck, in time for what?** By now Inuyasha was fuming. He almost couldn't stand it; he just had to get her back.

_I haven't the slightest clue, but if you want to know something else disgusting he told me he was going to keep a gag in my mouth when we got to the club so he could hear more of the growls that I had directed at him. Shit, he's such a bastard I can't stand it! It's unbearable…I'll KILL you if you don't find me soon, I swear it!  
**Trust me, I'd never forgive myself if that had happened. Just hang in there, but in the name of all that's holy don't make him angry.**_

And if he tries for more than I'm willing to share?  
Inuyasha sighed. Normally, he would say fight like hell, but he didn't want her killed. The fact that he was sure they'd find her before it came to that is what came to mind. **_I don't think that it will come to that, but just don't get yourself killed, Kagome. He will pay dearly already for taking you from me. It'd help, though, if you found some stuff out for me. Try and find how you kill that guy, or where the object that's needed is, or whatever. Just try to be observant and keep that smartass mouth of yours in check, got it?  
_**I'll try, but damn that's going to be hard.

Inuyasha glanced up at Miroku again. "She says that when he removed all her weapons he had managed to fondle her, and he's giving her plenty of fucking suggestive remarks that hints on that he plans on forcing himself on her."

Kira, whom like Shippo had been silent, glanced at Inuyasha. "I've got an idea. Ask her if he's wearing a necklace and if he is, describe it."

Inuyasha shrugged and closed his eyes again. **_Is he wearing a necklace?_**

I don't know, he's got me blindfolded!

**Well…ugh…tell him to take it off!**

Yea, that's really going to work, genius.

**I meant, suck up to him, damn it! This is urgent, and drastic times call for drastic measures.**

Kagome sighed. Boy, was this going to be fun. "Naraku, could you possibly take this thing off, I'm seeing white."

"Did one of my men tie their side too tight?"

"Why did you put it on anyway, it's got no purpose."

"The purpose is to keep you from seeing anything, my little Miko. I don't want you to somehow give away where my club is."

Kagome sighed again. _He's being difficult!  
**Come on, Kagome, you 'are a good actress when the time calls for it', remember!**_

Ok, you're right…she inhaled deeply. "Please, Naraku, if you've already disabled Inuyasha from sensing me then how am I going to give him directions? Besides, I may pass out if you don't, and I'm thinking you want me awake."

"Well I must say you use that brain of yours well. What will you do for me if I let you see again?"

_Uh…a little help, he wants a trade._

**Shit…he took everything off you.**

He probably wants a different trade, Inuyasha. I'm not willingly giving up to him like that.

**Oh, and you think I want you to? Shut the hell up! You know damn well that I'm the only one allowed to touch you in any way.**

Well it's not your hands that I'm worried about. He's the one right here, and he wants me to trade.

**Well deary, ask him how he wants to trade. And then tell me, don't do anything. He's still a sly bastard.**

She sighed again. She seemed to be doing that a lot lately. "What are you wanting to trade?"

He smirked. "Let's go for something that I can enjoy, shall we? I think I'd like for you to sit on my lap on the way. Right now I won't fondle you, how is that for a trade?"

If her mask was had been off, you could tell that she looked determined. "Could you take off my bounds, too?"

He laughed. "Not the hands, my dear, not the hands. I can't trust the hands."

She sighed and bitterly agreed. "Fine, but it's hands off pal." She couldn't believe herself. She wasn't worried at all. Some of that might have to do with the fact that she was still talking to Inuyasha, but still she was amazed. This demon was probably going to have his hands on her waist or hips the entire way up there. Even though he made her skin crawl, she decided that she could stomach a few minor things until Inuyasha figured out what to do.

The bag was taken off her head and the straps on her feet undone. The men in black basically lifted her off the seat and handed her to Naraku, who in turn pulled her until she sat sideways on his lap, making it so that the only thing that she looked at was him. She wanted to grimace or spit, but she held her ground. _I have to see if he has a necklace…this isn't one of the smartest things this bastard has ever done._

Forgetting that Inuyasha could hear her, of course. **_What did you just do?_**

Just forget about it. I'm looking so keep your shirt on.

**Woman, what did you do?**

Don't' worry about it, damn it!

Naraku's hand now held her back and the other firmly grasped one of her calves. Kagome suddenly began to wonder how in the hell she could have ever agreed to something like this. Inuyasha would have a cow without a doubt in her mind.

One of Naraku's cold fingers lazily caressed the skin on her leg. "You are quite a package, my little Miko. Beautiful, powerful, arrogant, and extremely intelligent. Except for the arrogant part, I wonder how you ended up with Inuyasha."

Kagome glared at him. "I love Inuyasha, so back off."

His grip on her leg tightened. "Now, now, Kagome, no need to be rash."

"You're insulting him, and you shouldn't forget that he's my mate." Kagome stated. She now stared at his neck, looking hard for any sort of necklace. What she found was quite interesting. _Inuyasha, I can see it! He's got a strange necklace, it's a transparent pinkish orb, and there seems to be smoke inside of it because the air's moving. Well I think we've found what we're looking for._

**Good, I think you're right.** He backed off and told Kira what she had said. Shippo smiled slightly. "Ah, the bastard has a secret."

"What do you think? Is it his soul or something that makes him immortal?"

"I'd say it's his mortality. When it's not in his body, he keeps it closed up and somewhere 'safe'. Maybe Kagome will grow intelligent and shatter it, then she can kill him."

Miroku snorted. "Not when she's surrounded by men that will surely kill her. Naraku will hurt her for sure if she does that. She needs to wait until we find her."

Inuyasha growled and his eyes stared directly in front of him. He could tell, Kagome was thinking about it. **_Kagome, don't you even think about it. You leave that thing until we get there._**

When will that be? I've still got a knife.

**DON'T, Kagome, I mean it!**

What's he gonna do? Kagome's thoughts were starting to wonder. She was really preparing to rip it off.

Inuyasha sat forward in his seat and screamed what he thought. **_DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE!_**

But Kagome wasn't listening. It was like her common sense had gone on vacation and had no intention of coming back. She was about to do something incredibly dangerous, and she knew it. And Inuyasha was going to kill her if Naraku didn't first, but she didn't care. She wanted him DEAD.

Kagome put her hands on his chest and slowly ran her hands up and closer to her goal. He wasn't aware of what she was doing; he was too transfixed by her actions to think clearly. She continued to run her hands up until they closed in on the orb. It was like the little jewel was calling to her.

Inuyasha was fuming and nearly pulling out his hair. **_Fuck, KAGOME LISTEN TO ME!_**

No…I can make my own decisions.

**WELL you're just PERFECT at making decisions that GET YOU KILLED! Keep away from him!**

She smirked. _Sorry, Inuyasha, for once I'm going to learn the hard way. I want this bastard dead and I mean NOW. And right now, you're not here to stop me._

Her bound hands wrapped around the jewel on his neck, and with one squeeze she shattered it to bits. His eyes flew open as a new glow enveloped him, and his mortality was brought back to him. He had just now figured out that she was too intelligent for her own good.

*~*~^_^~*~*

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(A/N-There you have it! I hoped you liked it, sorry that I left it at a cliffhanger, though. Eleven pages is enough for this chapter. Please review, and if you have any questions I'll try my best to answer them!)


	16. Annialation

Chapter 16-Annialation

In an instant her senses clicked, and her instincts were now calling her many ignorant names. Kagome had really done it this time...she hadn't been smart enough to wait until they were at least alone in the limo. Now she had three angry people that could break her back in an instant. Mortal people, but angry people nonetheless.

A clawed hand dug into her shoulder and she grimaced, trying her hardest not to react to the pain. Naraku suddenly looked a lot more dangerous, and a lot less neat. "You will regret that move to the pit of your soul, Miko."

Kagome snorted as she was being hauled off his lap to be pressed tightly into the seat. It didn't matter if they were hundreds of pounds bigger than she was; she was _not _going to be tortured in that seat. She could take them without her hands.

Kagome glanced at one and turned, throwing her arms at his face so that the metal hit his forehead. It worked on him and knocked him out cold, but the other men were now onto her. While Naraku was trying to find a way to stop the glow he was shouting various orders of getting her under control and the other man would not be deterred.

Kagome rolled her eyes. This man looked dumber than the one she had knocked out, it wouldn't take much to get him under control. The one she was worried about was still trying to find a way to stop himself from turning mortal again. He was way too preoccupied to capture Kagome, and why would he need to stop what he's doing if he had mindless zombies to do the work for him?

Yea, she'd like to see them try. She wasn't going down without a fight.

The man attempted to capture her with his hands, but Kagome found that her legs had very easy access to his head. She lay on her back and quickly kicked him square in the nose in the same manner that she had Naraku. Seeing that he wasn't immortal like Naraku had been, the man cried out and held it while it bled between his fingers. She smirked at him. _If he wants something to cry about then I'll give him something to cry about._

On his belt loop was a ring of keys, and _one _of them had to be the one to let her off. With another blow to the face with her hands, she managed to grab the keys and started struggling with them to get the handcuffs off. It wasn't working as well as she had hoped. _DAMNIT!_ How could she do this? She didn't have a way unless she could find something to ruin the metal or have someone else help her. She didn't really have time for either.

Her shoulder already started to bleed, and even though he could have done much worse with those claws of his, it still would slow her down. 

She almost gasped but kept it to herself. If she couldn't get off of these, then she would die. Naraku would kill her before she got the chance to use her powers on him. But what in the world could she do?

The second man passed out and dropped on top of the first. Before Kagome could rub it in his face Naraku shoved her hard onto the seat with a thud. He looked a little more peaceful again as he partly stood in front of her, but there was a heaviness to his eyes that scared the living daylights outta her. 

Her Miko instincts told her immediately what it was that she was seeing. His mortality was back; he was no longer the cold, heartless demon that didn't show emotion. Now…now he could die with a simple stab to the back.

But she was running out of options. He was fuming; she could see it in his aura like a cloud of fog surrounding just him. She had just figured out how to kill him; of course he would be irked. But Kagome couldn't do anything at the moment, and she prayed that he wouldn't notice that.

"I can't believe the nerve of you, woman. Do you know what you have done?"

"Yea, I just made your ass mortal again. Cry about it." She would have slapped a hand on her mouth, but the widening of the eyes did the trick.

Oh great, now he was FURIOUS.

Kagome smirked. _If he's mortal, then now he will feel pain again._ As he walked closer to her, she aimed high for his chin and kicked, only to feel his hands dart out and catch her foot, holding it tightly. _Hmph…_

She used her other foot and nailed his testicles, and this time she could see him wretch in pain. He wanted to crumble to the floor, but he was just too egotistical to show any kind of weakness, especially in front of a woman. Kagome again smirked. _He's nothing but a weak demon that hid behind immortality._

A hand went through her stomach, tearing and ripping at the insides and whatever it could get a hold of. She screamed with as much force as her now damaged lungs would let her as she saw white and the demon above her just smirked. "This will teach you." He stated blandly.

Kagome, now with blood leaking down her chin, brought her hands up to her chest and mustered up a devilish smirk. Naraku frowned at his attempt to find out what was so funny. "You will learn one thing from this experience, Naraku, and that is simply that you should NEVER mess with Inuyasha or me." Before he could react, she shoved the knife from her chest up into his and carved with all her remaining strength, having made a light slash in her chest from ripping the knife out of the sheathe. 

He couldn't breathe and he stared down at her with disbelief as blood began to leak out of his own mouth. This little woman (injured and on the brink of death) had managed to have the last laugh. A female, a HUMAN female had figured out his secret, and then managed to use it against him. And now he was crumbling to the floor beside her, turning on his back with all his might to try and pull the knife out.

But for this evil demon, it was too late. The blade had done its damage and there was no going back.

Naraku died on the floor, and Kagome managed to pull herself over to the phone with her elbows on the floor, dragging her wound against the carpet of the limo. She was the last one alive besides the driver. And if she let him continue driving, he was going to take her to Naraku's club, where the members will surely finish her off for destroying their gang leader.

She changed her course of dragging on the floor and had enough strength left to pull herself over to the guard that had been knocked out first. She 'borrowed' the gun that rested on his belt and removed it, aiming it at the driver's head through the very tinted window.

Instead of shooting his head, she just barely missed and he screamed in surprise. She pulled herself forward. "THE NEXT ONE GOES THROUGH YOUR HEAD! PULL THIS FUCKER OVER!"

The man nodded nervously and did as he was told, parking in an abandoned lot. When Kagome managed to get close enough to the window, she pointed the gun at the man's head from only inches away. "Now I want…your cell phone…and any devices that you have that men could trace you with. And I will shoot you right now if you don't because I'm a Miko, and I can tell when you're lying." She was amazed at her calmness. If she opened her shirt at the moment and stared at her wound she wouldn't be surprised if she just saw the remains of organs. In fact, she could almost guarantee that the only reason she was still breathing was because of Inuyasha.

The man didn't doubt that she'd lie and he handed her two cells phones, a wire and a button, much like the ones she had. She took the phones and smashed them with the butt of her gun, then brought it back up and glared at the man. "Now start walking…in that direction. And if you tell on me then I will hunt you down and kill you. Remember my powers." She would have said more to the effect of 'drop me off at Inuyasha's club', but he would find a way to avoid her. She used both arms and pointed in the opposite way they came and he was quick to comply. He was out of that limo and running fast down the street, hoping to not get caught.

Kagome dropped the gun and moaned as the pain started washing over her. She sighed. _I might…not make it…_she took the knife out of Naraku and held it tightly in the palm of her hand while the pain continued to come. She held it close to her heart, both elbows bent, the only thing left of the club, so that in case she did die, she died with honor. 

The darkness crept closer and closer. She rested her bruised face on her damaged shoulder, but ignored the slight pain that she felt. There were worse things than the pain of a wound…

…like Inuyasha's reaction when he found her…

*~*~^_^~*~*

It had been the most frightening thing he had ever felt. He had lost all connections to her when he told her not to do anything, and suddenly after a very strange combination of emotions, Kagome's feelings died. They just stopped, almost like a switch had been turned off. And he knew that wasn't supposed to happen.

He panicked. He didn't know what else to do. The sky roof of Miroku's limo was now completely shattered as he worked his way out of it, jumping inhumanly on top of the limo. Despite the calls of his companions, Inuyasha jumped from one car to the next and continued until he was near some buildings that he could jump up on. Then he was up and jumping as fast as his demon would let him from one building to the next.

It was harder than he thought, but all he could do was scan the area for black limousines. His keen eyesight ensured that anything black would be spotted. He just hoped that what he found in it wasn't as bad as he feared.

Then it hit him like a ton of bricks. Blood, and lots of it were in the area, some of it the familiar scent of Kagome's.

He stopped on top of a building's edge to grasp onto his chest. "Shit, Kagome…" His heart was beating so hard that he feared that he couldn't continue. At that moment he didn't want to continue…he didn't want to see what he probably would see. It was a picture that would forever haunt his dreams. But for her sake, he had to find her. And judging by the amount of blood, he had to find her fast.

Taking a few harsh breaths, he scanned the area for anything that resembled a limo. In what appeared to be an abandoned lot, a limousine parked like it was visiting a nearby show. But the little man that was running from the limo a couple of blocks away told him otherwise.

Inuyasha stared down at it, feeling the brink of tears coming to his eyes. He picked up his cell phone and informed Miroku of his location. "I won't look at it until you get here."

"Are you alright, Inuyasha?"

"If what my goddamn nose tells me is correct, then you'll never see alright again. Now hurry up." He slammed the phone shut and let one tear fall. He was terrified; he didn't want to relive his mother all over again. She died because he didn't stop her even though if he had worked harder he could have. His mind couldn't possible stay stable if he was forced to see Kagome's death.

The other limo pulled up along side it, and Inuyasha cleared his face of any tears before jumping down. 

Miroku tapped lightly on the door while Sango pulled out some rubber gloves for the two of them to wear. There was blood on the ground by the door, and they figured that they wouldn't like what they would see or what they would have to investigate.

Miroku shrugged when no one answered. "I'll go first." He opened the door to the limo and stepped inside, but before anyone else could do anything he could be heard muttering. "Holy Mary, mother of Jesus." He stated in disbelief. He wasn't even Christian and those were the first words out of his mouth.

Sango stepped in next and put a hand over her mouth. "Oh Kami…God, is she alright?"

Miroku bent down near her and began the automatic process of checking for a pulse. By then Inuyasha had worked up the courage to enter the limo himself, a leather sleeve over his nose because of the intensity of the scents. He just gaped…he was utterly speechless. She had done it; she had killed Naraku on her own, but still managed to be badly injured. He figured it was more or less a great concept, which she refused to die unless Naraku died with her. And despite her pain she had managed to do it. But was she really dead?  
Miroku sighed. "There's a pulse, but it's very faint. Come on, Sango, help me." They grabbed her shoulders and flipped her over, seeing the handcuffs. "Inuyasha, we need that laser thing you keep with you."

Inuyasha quickly pulled it out and handed it to the monk, watching him as he carefully cut her bounds off with the beam. When he took it off, her wrists were a dark purple from where it had held her. From the automatic loosening she dropped the knife on the floor as her hands gave in to the relaxation.

Miroku and Sango assessed where the blood was coming from, and carefully they removed her shirt to get to it. Both could only gape; there were three total wounds, on her stomach, chest and ugly claw marks on her shoulder. But they had no idea how they were going to help her with her stomach. The monk shook his head. "Tell me, Inuyasha, with a wound like that…how is she able to live?"

He sighed deeply and groaned into his hands. "It's our bond, what else?" _Thank you Kami she's still alive._ He bent down next to her and carefully touched her pale skin. "I have to heal her. Wrap this carefully in a light cover bandage and we'll get her back as soon as possible."

"Be wary of her other wounds, they would normally need stitches."

"I'm wary, monk, I'm wary. Now wrap, and don't make me ask again."

"Of course, Inuyasha."

After carefully wrapping her up, Inuyasha lifted her up and had her lying on his lap the whole way back. He couldn't heal her quite yet, and he'd prefer to do it in the safety of his own room. He felt so much better now that he held her again, but the next few days for him would be hell.

*~*~^_^~*~*

After careful investigation, Sesshomaru's nose had become clear on one thing; there were multiple people bleeding somewhere in the city. Him being the overly curious demon that he was, he wanted to know what that scent was and why it stroke him as familiar.

He set the club straight for a while, as he took to the air in his super fast traveling speed. In a matter of seconds he was in front of the source of the scent; a black limousine. He smirked. "I wonder what's inside." He stated childishly.

Sesshomaru entered the limo and scrunched up his nose at the stench of blood. He was surprised to find that Naraku was among the dead, and that the scent of that Kagome woman still lingered strongly here.

After the observation, he picked up the knife on the floor and sniffed it. "That woman…" he stated quietly, putting the knife away in his white robes. He bent down and took the pulse of his enemy. "She killed a demon without her powers. She did this with her own bare hands." He made a mental note to be cautious.

He to say in the least was amused. Naraku was known for being cautious, and yet a HUMAN female annihilated him without using her supernatural abilities. "I do not fear you, Kagome Higurashi, but I will not fall into the same trap that Naraku had fallen." Then by simply removing Naraku's cell phone and wallet, he left the limo without so much as a second glance back.

*~*~^_^~*~*

**(A/N-sorry I had to end it there, but give me some credit, I gave you two other chapters. This would be my shortest chapter yet, with only four total pages. WHEW! Anyway, thank you for reading and please review!)**


	17. Beautiful Blue Eyes

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Disclaimer-I can't own Inuyasha, because even though I have a little imagination, I could never think of something as great as him!

Chapter 17-Beautiful blue eyes

"Miroku, watch your hands!" Screamed Sango as she continued to punch and kick the mat wall that Miroku held up for her. He urgently nodded and pulled his hands out of the way, just barely missing a kick that would have probably broken his wrist.

Sango had been urgently getting back into the habit of beating things up again, and while Kagome was under the ever-watchful eye of Inuyasha she had no one else to rely on for training except for him. And lately she needed a lot of training.

It seemed like she had anger that she wanted to beat out of herself, taking it out on the third mat this week that hadn't been ripped apart by her yet. She just continued to think about Kouga, and his betrayal, Kikyo and the fact that she was just a bitch that got what she deserved, and of course Fluffy dearest and Naraku. Yes, every time she'd think of something to fuel her anger, she'd destroy another of Inuyasha's training tools.

It had been one week since the incident, and no one had seen that much of either Inuyasha or Kagome. No one even knew whether she had woken up or not because Inuyasha had them both locked away in his apartment, the only words to the club coming from his cell phone. It seemed to anger Sango a little that she could not see her friend, but she was also angered that Kagome had deliberately disobeyed him with knowledge that she would be hurt. She just _knew_ that she would be hurt.

She also knew there was a great chance she would die.

And yet she took it, but whether to just be rebel against Inuyasha or because she feared the demon at hand was questionable. She had taken the mortality off of his neck and crushed it, then proceeded to kill him because she knew that if she let him near her he would kill her. If Inuyasha _ever _let her out of his sight again, she'd have to have a talk with her.

Her sudden thoughts of anger caused her blows to the mat to be more powerful and driven, forcing Miroku to become more alert and having to force himself to not be driven back. He winced with the force of one of her kicks because it nearly knocked the mat out of his hands. He worked as hard as possible to hold it up.

With a kick from the side, Sango ripped the mat in half like she had the other two this week and pushed herself back, panting heavily. She gasped and out of embarrassment put a hand over her eyes. She did it again. Out of anger for something that might have been stupid in the first place, she destroyed another of Inuyasha's training materials. And one of these days he would find out and be angry, which she couldn't handle anymore from him.

Miroku threw down the two pieces of the mat and wiped his hands on his shirt to release it of the numbing sting. Sango could really do some damage when she wanted to. "Sango, what's wrong?"

She sat down on the ground with her knees in the air and her arms hanging between them. Her breathing was still heavy as she blew the bangs out of her eyes. "Sorry, Miroku, I got carried away again. Inuyasha's going to kill me."

Miroku kneeled down in front of her. "What's troubling you?"

"It's nothing."

"Sango, you never hit with force like that unless you're angry. It's not me you're angry at, though, or you would have slapped me by now."

She glanced up at him. "I suppose it's Kagome-chan that I'm angry at, Miroku. How could she have been that reckless?"

He sighed and pulled her into a hug that surprised her slightly, but she was relieved nonetheless. "I couldn't agree more, Sango-san, but no matter how reckless or naïve it was, we have to be glad that she's alright. We also have to be confident in Inuyasha, because this time he's going to succeed in driving her insane."

"How do you know?" She asked as she gripped his shoulders tightly.

"He told me that he has laid down the law for her. But even though she wasn't happy about it, she didn't argue with him."

"She's awake?"

"Yea, she has been for a while now. Her wounds are completely healed, too, and Inuyasha should be coming out of the apartment complex soon, with her following him, of course."  
Sango closed her eyes and held the monk closer, resting her burning cheek on his shoulder. "It sounds like she'll go insane. I know I would."

"He was eternally grateful that she had destroyed the monster, but he was also angry that she had disobeyed him and nearly gotten herself killed. I think he mentioned that she had muttered that she wasn't sure why he kept her around, or something to that effect before she quit talking to him altogether."

Sango gripped his shoulders even more tightly and felt him kiss her cheek quickly. They sunk into the silence and became very comfortable in it, relaxing in the feel of holding each other.

The door slammed and Miroku released her to stand again and see Inuyasha stomping in with Kagome right behind him carrying a laptop over her shoulder like a purse. Her lips were scrunched and off to the side, almost proving that she had words that she wanted to say, but none of them were allowed to come out. She acted just like she had before, nothing wrong with her other than the strange silence.

Inuyasha stopped in front of the broken mat on the floor and scratched his head. "Funny…" he started sarcastically. "That's the third one of those I've found this week." He glanced at Sango, who needless to say had a guilty expression on her face. "You're the one destroying my equipment?"

"I'll pay for it, Inuyasha, I'm sorry."

"Just tell me why you're destroying everything and I won't worry about it."

"I'd rather pay for it."

Miroku helped Sango to her feet. "It's nice to finally see the two of you." He chimed.

Kagome snorted. "Yea, I bet. Don't you two have something you want to say to me, too? Along the lines of how stupid I am?"

Miroku crossed his arms and eyed her strangely. "Even though I don't approve of you disobeying Inuyasha, I'm glad that you killed that monster and ended up ok."

Sango nodded. "Same here."

"So I'm only getting the earache from him?" She pointed at Inuyasha, who snorted in response.

Sango simply walked over to her and patted her shoulder. "Don't worry, Kagome-chan, it'll be alright." She began to suddenly stare Kagome straight in the eyes with a fascination and Kagome just cocked her eyebrows. "Sango?"

"You're eyes…they're sapphire."

Inuyasha didn't seem shocked, but Miroku then began to do his own analysis. "You're right Sango…they used to be brown."

Kagome glanced around in pursuit of a mirror, and when she found a small one on the wall near the door, she walked over to it to investigate. When she got there, she realized that they were right. Her eyes _were _incredibly blue, almost like a husky's eyes. They were so beautiful now, and she didn't have the slightest clue as to what had happened.

When she turned back around, she noticed Inuyasha with his arms crossed carefully as he observed her. It seemed as no surprise to him, so she eyed him carefully. "How did my eyes get this way?"

He shrugged. "Your Miko powers?" 

"Inuyasha!"

"Alright, damn…" He sighed deeply. "I restored our bond."

"Restored? I thought unless I died you couldn't get rid of it."

Miroku cleared his throat. "I think what he means is that he made it more powerful. More than likely when you were healing so that you healed faster."  
"That doesn't explain why me eyes are blue."

He growled and rubbed his eyes. "Oh for fuck's sake…I gave you some of my power so that you're more powerful than before. The part of my demon that I gave you must have turned your eyes that pretty blue."

"You gave me part of your demon?"

"Yea, but it doesn't become fully you. As long as my demon remains your eyes will be blue."

"I see…"

"Yea."  
Miroku scratched his head. "I think there's some unresolved tension between the two of you. Maybe you should go and talk about it?"

Inuyasha glared at him. "That's none of your fucking business, moron. Bite your tongue."

"I would, Inuyasha, only I'm using it to talk."  
Sango snorted. "Miroku, shut up before he kills you."

Kagome glanced down at the floor, seeming to take something into consideration. Sango shook her head. "Anyway, Inuyasha, I will pay for the damages that I caused. I'm just being careless, that's all."

"Whatever." He growled. He picked up the mat and in one movement, heaved it across the room into the trash. He clapped his hands together and spun around with a smirk on his face. "Alright, now I have news. I've discovered a secret place that Sesshomaru has been running. I want to place a hit on it."

"That's risky, Inuyasha." Miroku stated. "He's always got people walking around and watching out for him."

"That's just it." Kagome said. "It's a challenge, therefore it's exciting and Inuyasha will love it."

Sango snorted. "Yea, but this challenge will involve keeping _you_ out of the way, no doubt. It always does."

Inuyasha growled. "She'll be coming with us."

Both Sango and Miroku seemed shocked. "Really? Since when do you bring her along?"

Kagome gaped. "Thanks, guys, you make me feel wanted." She walked over to the wall that Miroku had sat along and forced herself down with her knees in the air.

Inuyasha sighed. "Look, I agreed not to keep her out of as much as she had been. With both Kikyo and Naraku, even if she didn't listen to me, she proved that she could take care of her self. Besides, I had to be fair, I've laid down several laws for her."

"Several _unfair_ laws." Kagome mumbled, but Inuyasha ignored her.

Sango sighed. "So then what will she do?"

"She'll go in like the rest of us. More than likely standing right beside me."

"She'll be in danger." Miroku ventured.

Kagome took off a knife out of it's sheathe and threw it at him, but Inuyasha managed to take a step forward and caught it before it got too close. "Kagome, would you calm down? No need to go and kill him."

"I'm sick of everyone looking out for me. I know how to take care of myself, I'm your goddamn second in command, for Pete's sake!"

"Well calm down anyway. I'll handle it." His response was a highly uncivilized snort as she turned to look the other way.

Sango walked over to her and sat down beside her, carefully engaging in conversation. Miroku scratched his head from where he was standing. "Well Inuyasha, what are your plans for Fluffy dearest?"

"Simple, we're going to take him out."

"But Inuyasha, he knows all about Kagome. He knows that she killed Kikyo, and he knows that she killed Naraku."

"How do you know?"

"Because he has a uncanny way of finding out everything that has nothing to do with him at all. And naturally, he could smell the blood of that accident in his club. He was more than likely attracted to it and took note that Kagome's scent was everywhere. Also, when we had gone back to the limo to retrieve a few things, Kagome's knifes were gone. I'm thinking that he took them."

"Well you can think all you want, that doesn't make them true. Fluffy doesn't always go searching out blood scents."

"But he does know the scent of Kagome's blood."

He sighed. "Yea, I guess so."

Miroku took his tone down to a whisper so that Kagome wouldn't overhear. "So, how have things between the two of you gone?"

He shrugged. "I was angry at first, but I'm glad that she's alright. And she had felt really bad for not listening to me, and continued to tell me that she didn't understand why I put up with her in the first place. She doesn't feel like she deserves me, or something like that."  
"Well maybe you should spend more time together."

"We spent a whole week in my apartment."

"But what were you doing? You were healing. You really didn't have a chance to talk or anything with her. I mean, she does deserve some time to the two of you for taking out that bastard in the first place, even if she disobeyed you."

He shrugged and began to pop his knuckles. "I guess."

"Well how bad do you think your relationship is at the moment?"  
Inuyasha managed to snort and stared at him. "Let's put it this way. I'm having relationship problems and I'm talking to _you_ about them."

"Touché, Inuyasha, touché."

"Anyway, what I want you to do is get information on the Black Demon Casino by three o-clock tonight. That'll be where we hit next." 

Sango nodded and stood, pulling Kagome to her feet. "Inuyasha, do you mind if Kagome and I spar?"

"Spar? Kagome knows how to spar?"

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Let me show you that I can spar, Inuyasha. You just sit against the wall like we made Miroku." She leaned to the side to whisper to Sango. "I know you're thinking of going easy on me, but I'm not about to let you, got it?"

"But Kagome…"  
"No buts, that's the only way I will learn to fight the right way."

Sango shrugged. "Ok, but if Inuyasha says anything then you need to take the heat."

"I always take the heat, Sango. I'm the only one here that he will absolutely refuse to kill."

Kagome sat her laptop on the ground by the wall and dropped her coat on the floor. Inuyasha's eyebrows were scrunched with worry, basically saying that he didn't like the thought of Kagome fighting physically with a woman that was just as strong as she was. As she slowly tied her hair up she watched him stare at her for a moment before speaking. "You sit against the wall."  
"I don't like this idea."

"I don't care, I've done it before and as long as Sango doesn't aim for my neck I'll be fine." She removed her shoes and grabbed the wraps off of the floor to wrap tightly around her palms. As Sango slowly did the same thing that she was doing, Kagome had gotten ready and was now rotating her shoulders. She was going to have fun for the first time in a while, and Inuyasha would just have to sit back and watch.

Miroku noticed his friend's hesitation to sit down and enjoy the show, so he grabbed his leather coat and pulled him off his feet to sit by the wall near him. "Come on, Inuyasha, these events are so fun to watch."

He growled and looked away. "Sango's not your mate, you wouldn't know what it's like to just sit here and watch someone beat the crap out of the woman you vow to protect."

"Well, Inuyasha, I see your point, but Sango's not going to dare harm Kagome with you down here. The most that has ever happened was Kagome received a few blows to the stomach, but she was fine after a breather."

Inuyasha glared at him rather accusingly. "And this was _when_?"

Miroku peeped. "Uh, nothing…"

"Monk…" Inuyasha reached forward and pulled Miroku by the collar so that they were now nose to nose. "You know better than to keep events like this a secret from me. _Especially_ if Kagome's involved, and if it's something that could cause her an injury…"

Miroku backed up and laughed nervously. "Inuyasha, calm down. Sparing is a great way to learn self-defense. And besides, I told you already, Sango wouldn't dare harm Kagome with you watching."  
Inuyasha snorted and glanced around. _Hmph, Miroku's right. Sango isn't stupid enough to hurt Kagome like that when all I have to do is stand up and beat the crap out of her…_

**Inuyasha, you will NOT hurt Sango because nothing's going to happen to me, don't even think it.** He glanced up to see Kagome giving him a sharp glare, and he rolled his eyes while sighing loud enough for everyone to hear. He reached over and grabbed her computer, setting it up in his lap. Kagome's voice came into his head again. **_And don't read my diary or I'll never speak to you again._**

When are you going to quit being so bitchy with me?  
**I don't know, whenever I feel like it. **She stood straight and clenched and unclenched her hands with a smirk on her face. "Alright, Sango, give me your best shot."

"Do and _die_." Inuyasha stated before Miroku elbowed him sharply.

Kagome stopped to put her hands on her hips and glare at him. "I can take care of myself, this is not a real battle, and I don't need you threatening everyone who even talks to me!"

"I'm not, but I swear if she hurts you…"

"Stop it, damn it, that's the only way I would learn."

"Psh, whatever, the only thing you would learn is how to cry."

"I don't cry."

"Yes you do, and you know it. You're just too damn stubborn to admit it, aren't you?"

She crossed her arms and glared at him. "You moron."

"Shut up and answer me!"

"Care to explain to me how I'm going to do both, you idiot!"

Sango sighed. "Kagome, you first."

Kagome scowled at her mate before turning and shaking her head to rid it of the tightness she had just acquired. Inuyasha was so infuriating at times, she didn't know what to do with him. "Hai." She bent down and charged, bending down a foot in front of her to bring a swinging kick up to her face. Using her forearms, Sango avoided the blow and she twisted completely around to deliver a kick of her own (with which she was very wary because of Inuyasha), but Kagome ducked out of the way and swept her feet out from underneath her. 

Sango landed on her back, but out of experience she pushed herself back to her feet with her arms and legs and got right back into the fight. As they threw punches, kicks and shoves at each other it was apparent that both girls were well matched this time. Of course with Inuyasha's watchful eye, no one could be certain if they were really trying as hard as they could be.

Miroku smiled dreamily as he watched the woman fight. By now both were covered in sweat, and the moves they made would show off their wonderful strength. The monk gazed at Sango and sudden unnecessary thoughts came over him…

Inuyasha's rude tapping on the head snapped him out of his trance. "If Kagome's anywhere in that perverted head of yours I'll be ripping you to bits now."

"Kagome may be an attractive woman, Inuyasha, but I'm not stupid enough to dream about her. I mean, come on, I don't plan on dying quite yet."

"That'd be a wise choice." He glanced back at the fight and sighed. "I feel like I don't even know that woman."

Miroku finally worked up enough courage to look away from the enticing scene before him and glanced at Inuyasha. "What do you mean?"

"There are things I don't know about her still, and things that are puzzling the hell out of me. And she is so pissed off at me right now that things are not going well, so I can't just sit down and talk to her about it."

"You might want to remind her that you can't stop being mates. You're bonded forever now."

Inuyasha childishly smacked the back of the monk's head enough to stun and not harm. "I think she knows that, dumbass."

He sighed while holding his head. "I have another thought…" He stated quietly.

"Well I have nothing better to do than to listen, so hurry up before you expire of old age."

"Perhaps the demon that's inside her has something to do with it?"

That possibility clicked in his head. "You're saying that since part of me is in her, she's just being as stubborn as I am." He hummed for a minute while watching the women fight. "Maybe you're right, but there's also nothing I can do about that. It's already been done."

Miroku shook his head softly at Inuyasha. He nodded at Kagome. "Just look at her, Inuyasha. She's so strong and free willed, incredibly powerful with a mind of her own." The monk smirked and glanced at his friend. "Despite the constant fights you two may have, she really does have a much better life here with you. With her father, she couldn't argue like this unless in a courtroom. She probably couldn't fight, spar, or even look slightly disrespectful to another person. You've allowed her to express herself, and even if you do have tight boundaries for her, she still is very grateful to you. I'm betting she would never trade this life for anything."

Inuyasha looked straight ahead of him, seeming to see something that wasn't really there. "You're right for once, Monk. She does have a better life with me. But why can't she ever admit it?"

"She doesn't deny it."

"Give her time or ask her."

"She's just stubborn, Inuyasha, even you knew that."

A loud smack against the mat and the boy's jerked up to attention for the girls. Sango was flat on her back, trying to catch her breath (or gain it back because it had been knocked out of her) and utter shock displayed on her face. Kagome stood above her, hands on her knees as she worked to regain her breath. 

Miroku scratched his head. "Sango, are you alright?"

She waved the thought off, unable to form words just yet. After about two minutes of breathing and Kagome moving to stand over her, she managed to inhale deeply. "I think you won that round, Kagome-chan."

"I'm sorry, Sango, I'll never do that again."

She sat up and held her head. "Don't worry about it…although that'd be a great move to use for self defense. In fact I think you cheated, because I don't remember that being a part of Karate or kick boxing."

"You're right. I'm sorry."

Inuyasha stood and walked to stand over her, staring at the fallen girl carefully. "You smell ok. You musta just got the wind knocked out of you."

"If you had been watching you would see why, Inuyasha."

He snorted and glanced at Kagome. "Now Kagome, are you being too rough on my security head?" He purred like one would to a child.

Kagome snorted and crossed her arms. "I just had something on my mind and the next thing I knew I was performing move 13 from my self-defense class's on her."

"In other words?"

"I body slammed her."

Inuyasha cocked an eyebrow and looked down at Sango. "Well, she's still alive, I don't think you slammed her hard enough."

"Great, I'll try harder next time. The move's the most effective on cement or hard floor." Kagome sat down on the mat, basically falling to sit on her ass, and continued to pant slightly. _Boy that was more of a workout then I thought it should be._

"Hey Inuyasha, look at this!" Chimed Shippo as he and Kira walked into the room. "These are some of Naraku's old toys that we had taken out of his limo."

Kira held up a gun that had a red laser for aiming on it, just letting it hang from her finger in the trigger guard. "Such a despicable demon. He cheated in everything."

Shippo smirked. "Yea, but look at this." He held up his wrist to show off a strange weapon indeed. It was platinum silver and it strapped tightly around your forearm. A handle was placed at the end to hold onto to and aim, and a small trigger was positioned there too. 

It was obviously a machine gun, but the upper half was what was stunning the most. It was like a giant sword folded in half so that the sharp end of the blade was facing the outside of his arm. Shippo beamed. "Watch." With a flick of the wrist, the sword extended to it's full length to become a fully operated and dangerous weapon, easily maneuvered by the owner. "What do you think?"

Inuyasha eyed it carefully. Shippo had known to ask Inuyasha because he was an expert on weapons if there ever were one. "That's a nice peace of defense, for a despicable bastard that cheats. I like the design, but I wonder why I've never seen one like that before."

Kagome smirked. "Oh I have. My father knew a guy that designed swords, and that was one of the designs I remembered seeing."

Sango grabbed Miroku by the pants and hauled herself to her feet. "That would be nice to carry around, though, for someone that's not as strong as other people in the club."

Shippo snorted. "Naw, I'll keep it, you guys don't appreciate it as much as I do."

Kira shook her head as if she couldn't believe she dated this demon. "You and your toys."

"I'll have to admit though, that bastard did have some pretty high tech stuff. Though before we could go back for anything else the cops already had the car in custody. Who knows, Kagome's probably wanted for murder now."

Kagome paled and gulped while Inuyasha growled. "Shippo, that's not going to happen for one thing. You're scaring her, so don't say something like that again or I'll have your head on a post."

He sighed. "Yes, Inuyasha."

The boss of the group glanced down a little anyway, guiltily at the floor before attempting to regain his composure. "Besides, I'm the most wanted person in this room, and I have yet to see the cops find the club. Hell, I don't think any of them even have the balls to come after me. They've got me on so many counts of murder it's not even funny, but not once has a cop actually confronted me about it. I used to roam the streets all the time, too."

Kagome shook her head to rid herself of the thoughts and glanced at Sango. "Wanna go for another round?"

Sango laughed nervously. "Sorry, Kagome, I don't think that I could handle another round today."

The woman glanced at Miroku. "Houshi-sama?" She beamed slightly at him because with his new nickname, he almost looked startled. It was always fun to see what sort of reactions could be pulled from this humble monk.

He also laughed, shaking and waving his hands as if the idea was the most bizarre one he had ever heard. "NO, no, that's quite alright. I'm just fine watching, I couldn't handle a body slam to the floor."

Kagome rolled her eyes, wondering why no one would drop that subject. "It was an accident, though, I won't do it again."

"Sorry, I'm just too tired."

She sighed. "Inuyasha's not going to sit in here and watch me train by myself." He snorted and rolled his eyes. _Why must she say things like that?_ He thought to himself. 

Kagome walked over to a large punching bag in the corner of the room, and with all her strength she started to punch, delivering a high kick every once in a while. While she worked on that (and of course, Inuyasha listening to make sure she didn't harm herself), he pulled out Kagome's laptop again and logged himself onto the internet. Miroku and Sango knelt beside him so that he could show them the plans, while Kira and Shippo stood on the opposite wall, investigating Kagome with a lot of interest.

Inuyasha's hacking abilities brought him into the Black Demon Casino email page. There were hundreds of emails, but one of them in particular had already been selected and he brought up the page. It was a full request for the next shipment of cash, and directions on how to get there. "Ah, my brother grows naïve. I could rob this thing blindfolded, in fact I should try that sometime." 

Sango sighed. "The 'thing' you've been looking for can't be kept here, Inuyasha, unless Fluffy keeps it in a secret safe."

"I'm not giving up, it's around here somewhere. I will not rest until I have it."

Miroku sat down fully beside his friend with every intention of talking him out of it. "Please, Inuyasha, this is childish now, don't you think? You've been looking for it for years. You'll never get it."

The Hanyou snorted. "That's what you think. The shit reeks, I'll be able to sniff it out if it's nearby." He had thought for years that his father had only given it to Sesshomaru because he was the oldest child. Now, after he had known for certain that it was only given to Fluffy because he was a true demon, he wanted more than anything to rob the man of it. Sesshomaru kept it very secret; in fact, Inuyasha had never had to work so hard to find something he wanted. Not only did he want it to hurt his brother's pride, but he wanted it for future use. Something that powerful would come in handy, indeed.

His search for the bottle of potion, however, had been put on hold for a long time because of Kagome. Now that most of his problems were gone, he would continue to act to the childish war they had going. It was all leading up to one thing, and they both knew it. One of these days, an actual stand off would occur to determine which brother was best once and for all. Hearts would break, people would die, but there was nothing that could be done about it.

Of course…Kagome wasn't going to be one of those people. And neither were Shippo, Kira, Sango and Miroku. He had to admit to himself that they were all 'friends', even if he was the gang leader and would kill them if necessary. He was convinced that Kagome couldn't live without them also in her life.

Hence another great use for the potion.

The potion was the only one in known existence, capable of creating partial immortality (in other words, like how long Inuyasha will live). At first he just wanted the potion to hold onto, but now he could actually use it to keep his friends around with him for as long as they lived.

Of course, he would never admit to wanting them around, and he would _never_ tell them that he had friends other than Kagome. They would never let him live that down because he had always said that he never needed friends, or humans for that matter. He had always said that they were fragile, useless things that should only be tossed aside when they become useless. He meant it then, but now…now he knew that humans could be much stronger than most demons. He wasn't sure where he stood on that, though.

But he wouldn't give any hints as to why he wanted the potion. It would be sort of like a surprise. The only one who would know is Kagome, and that's only because she could read his mind. He'd have to be careful on how he though nowadays.

Kira gasped and everyone turned their attention to what she was gasping at. Kagome had fallen to her knees, completely still with her eyes closed. In fact, no one could tell if she was even breathing. Inuyasha tried to talk to her through his mind, but she wouldn't respond. Something weird was going on…

Miroku grabbed Inuyasha's shoulder before he darted up to attempt and find out what happened. The half demon growled at him. "What the HELL do you think you're doing?!"

"Kagome-chan appears to be having a vision, Inuyasha, do not disturb her."

"How do you know that?! It's probably some sort of seizure, and you're signing your death certificate while you hold me down like this."

Miroku turned with a very angry gaze at Inuyasha. "DOES SHE SMELL ILL TO YOU? A vision is a very important message; it could be very helpful with the future. If you interrupt her, she may never know what that sight was trying to tell her, and I want Kagome-chan to have an experience like that."

"What, you've had an _experience_?"

"As a matter of fact I have."

"And the result?"

He motioned towards Sango. "I met my dear Sango-san, Inuyasha. Kagome's vision will probably be different, but you must let her have it."

He sighed. He didn't like this one bit, but the monk was probably right (as usual). _Sometime I will face the music. There are some things that Kagome has to do for herself._

*^_^* _Kagome's vision_

It was like she was there on the street, but she couldn't move. She could only watch the future scene around her with astonishment. She had never had one of these strange visions before, but she found it to be fun. Who wouldn't want to see what was going to happen, or have something great being led to them all because of a dream?

The outside edges of the dream were very foggy, everything that could be seen clearly was in the very middle, even though it was dark outside. In this dream, she saw herself, holding a gun out and pointed at an unknown figure. Inuyasha was right beside her, leather coat ensemble and all, but a lovely machine gun between his hands. He spoke words that could not be heard, and Kagome nodded her head in agreement.

Suddenly, like a movie, the scene changed to who she thought was Inuyasha at first with the blades that Naraku had used attached to each arm. However, after slashing through the people around him, she noticed that the form underneath all that leather seemed more petite, a little thinner than Inuyasha by all means.

But what she would never forget, was when the demon seemed to sense her. The ears swiveled back and turned sharply, revealing someone completely stranger to her. This demon looked so much like Inuyasha, in fact she couldn't tell the difference until she stared at the factor that stared her right back. _Those eyes…those beautiful sapphire eyes…_

*^_^* _End vision_

Kagome suddenly woke and hit the floor from falling backwards. She panted while everyone ran to look down at her. "Are you alright?" Miroku asked.

She looked around her and squinted. "Yes, I'm fine." She stated quietly. She grabbed Inuyasha's clawed hand and was pulled to a sitting position so that she looked directly at him. The looks that she gave him were so odd, he could do nothing more than stare right back with a cocked eyebrow. "Monk, I thought you said she'd be ok."  
Miroku ignored Inuyasha completely. "Kagome-chan, how was it?"

She lightly touched Inuyasha's face. "So much alike…" She said quietly. She glanced at Miroku and stood. "Come, houshi-sama, I want you to decipher my dream for me before I tell anyone else about it."

He nodded and walked with her over to the other side of the room, talking as quietly as possible. Inuyasha just stared straight ahead, seemingly confused. "What in the seven hells…" He started.

Sango sighed. "I don't know either, Inuyasha. But I found it interesting. You're definitely in it." She thought back to the 'so much alike' comment, and wondered what that could possibly mean. _So much alike…_

Miroku had a finger on his chin as he thought about it. "So you said this demon was like Inuyasha in every way, except for the eyes? And it even had the weapons that Shippo likes so much?"

"I'm thinking that 'it' was a she, because she was petite."

"Hmm…" He smirked. "Ah, yes, of course."

"What's it mean?"

"I'm believing that the vision told you, in my version, that if you survive all of this, you will have a lovely daughter. And the blue eyes were the inheritance from you, as well as the petite form." He beamed. "I must say that is rather encouraging, don't you think?"

She smiled softly as she glanced off to the side. _Wow…_"Are you sure, Miroku?"

"My vision was similar, however most visions are only if a certain thing occurs. A child would be about twenty years in the future, by the sound of it. That means that if you survive this all, which you will, you will raise a child of your own in likeness to both you and Inuyasha in many ways."

Kagome smirked. That thought seemed very appealing…appealing indeed. She deserved it, after all that she had been through. Or at least that's what she told herself. _A daughter of my own…incredible._

**_A what of your own?_**

Kagome snapped her head up and stared at Inuyasha with a slight smile on her face. Crossing her arms tightly, she smiled at him. "Inuyasha…" She said loudly. "I want you to promise me that we'll live through this."

He snorted. "What for?"

"Just promise, please."

"You know damn well nothing will ever harm you again."

"You either." She said with a smirk, walking over to her coat so that she could start putting her clothing back on. She would keep it to herself for a while, or let the monk tell it. Just as long as she didn't have to at the moment. She'd love to bathe in the beauty of knowledge.

Inuyasha snorted and stood. "What's going on? What did you see, Kagome?"

"Nothing, nothing…" She stated, making sure that she had all her equipment. Her mood seemed enlightened, and she grinned when she looked up at Inuyasha. "Come with me, Inuyasha."

"Where do you think you're going?"

She walked over to him and grabbed his hand. "_WE _are going to have a little talk, pal. In your office, please." She basically dragged him out. They had a lot to discuss, and Kagome was hoping to do more than just talk with him. She never got much time alone with him anymore, anyway, and having a baby seemed like fun, under the circumstances that all of their enemies were dead and ash on the ground. And even if she did disobey Inuyasha, she wanted a reward for taking that demon bastard out for him. That's why she had pulled him out of the room so quickly, with the remaining four staring in astonishment, or in Miroku's case, amusement.

After a moment, Sango crossed her arms and stared after them. "Miroku…"

"Yes?"

"Is Inuyasha going to get Kagome-chan pregnant?"

Miroku smirked. Sango was one of the best at coming up with out of the blue questions. "Probably someday, Sango. Probably someday."

*~*~*^_^*~*~*

****

(A/N-Thanks again for the reviews, but now I have a question to ask.

Out of curiosity, would you guys like me to write a sequel to this? I'm not going to tell you what it would be about just yet, but I have hinted it on in my story if you look carefully. Just tell me what you think in the reviews, and if you have any questions please feel free to ask and I'll answer them next chapter!)


	18. A world against us

****

Thank you for the reviews! There were a few things that I have to straighten out, first, so here it goes.

I will write for you another lemon, but do not flame me for anything happening in this chapter. I haven't really had a flame yet, and I appreciate it, but everything I do in this story does serve a purpose.

Miroku and Sango _are_ a couple, and I apologize for not showing it that much. I will start doing that from now on. But my proof is the blue eye statement when Miroku talked about his vision, and right after Kagome killed Kikyo, when Inuyasha and Miroku were discussing things in his office and he decided to embarrass Miroku by telling him that he could hear every time that he had sex with Sango. You remember (^_^) that one

About Miroku's vision, I didn't really think out yet what _exactly_ was in it, but he didn't meet Sango until he had it. It was like a form of destiny that all mystical people are supposed to go through.

And I do enjoy lemons very much, don't get me wrong, but it's hard for me to write them and I'm not very good at it. I try, I guess, and that's all that matters.

Anyway, if you have anymore questions, please let me know in your reviews.

Disclaimer-I don't, never have and never will own Inuyasha.

Warning-chapter contains adult content. If you are under eighteen, you shouldn't read this, but don't yell at me if you get in trouble for it.

Chapter **18-A world against us**

Sesshomaru stood in his office near the office desk, waiting for his new second to come and explain the new situation at hand. He had been waiting for _way_ too long in his opinion. Growling softly in his wait, he decided to spend this time pondering to himself, since Kouga was never on time anymore, anyway. He'd have more than enough time to think.

Out of his white robes he pulled the knife he had swiped out of Naraku's limo. His normally emotionless face showed interest in the sharp blade as it rested like an antique in his hands. _I still don't understand it. Such a little woman, a Miko nonetheless, managed to kill Naraku. With this very blade. But her Miko abilities would have obliterated him had she used them. So why didn't she?_

Naraku had a reputation of being invincible, many of his enemies had tried to destroy him but they ended up dying themselves. They would stab him, slash him, shoot him, but nothing ever worked. He seemed completely immortal. But all his enemies that had died trying to defeat him were demons, demons without any sort of burning energy that could melt metal.

Kagome had been human, a FEMALE Miko human nonetheless. Even then, though, she somehow killed him without her Miko abilities.

"Hmm…perhaps I underestimated that little wench." His gaze never left the skull hilted knife. He should have been more cautious of her when she destroyed Kikyo, but he had thought it was Miko's luck. Now that she destroyed a demon that seemed more invincible than him, he had began to think of a more effective way to destroy her and Inuyasha. 

Sesshomaru, being a demon in all, was naturally curious about things like this. "But Naraku always stripped his enemies of weapons. Where could she have hidden this that he wouldn't have looked?"

He sighed and skillfully folded the knife back into his robes. _That little bitch won't know what hit her when I get a hold of her. Then I'll destroy her despicable mate and put his head up on a post at my club._

But the demon growled softly to himself at another thought. This all had become _way_ too complicated. Kagome went from despicable, useless wench to fairly powerful Miko, to the scariest son of a bitch he had ever thought a human to be. With her constant changing in status, he wondered if he could handle her after all.

He couldn't afford to keep underestimating her. It could mean his demise, perhaps even in the same form as Naraku.

He had to be rid of her. He was sick of worrying about her all the time, sick of wondering what plots her and her half demon mate were trying to force him into. He was one of the only full demons in the city left, and as the rumor in his club had it, Inuyasha and that bitch were out for every last ounce of demon blood they could find. If he were all that was left, then they would be making their attempts to bring him down very soon.

Sesshomaru growled. _THAT_ was making him look and sound bad. Much worse than what his reputation as the leading gangster could afford.

Of course Kouga was the other person that Inuyasha and Kagome wanted dead, but to him that just showed more weakness in his club. The chain is only as strong as its weakest link, and there were plenty of times when he wondered if Kouga was all he lead on to be, which _proved_ him by the instinct to be the weakest link. It used to be that the chain was only Sesshomaru, and until he was taken down it couldn't be broken, but in the butt of the rumors in New York he was already the weakest chain. The one that all the gangs in the country would be after now that his threat was somewhat diminished. He now rested at the bottom.

And that stupid bitch put him there, making his brother look like much more of a threat than he could tolerate.

Inuyasha tended to use scare tactics as a way of making himself seem more ferocious. Sesshomaru was simply heartless, and once you got on his bad side you found that out. No one had been able to escape the wrath of his claws.

No one, that is, except for Inuyasha and Kagome.

Sesshomaru snorted. He was obsessing now. This wasn't like him at all and now he cursed to the seven brinks of hell that he had a naturally curious side to his demon. He wouldn't stop until his questions were answered, or until he had both of their heads in a basket. He began to think of more effective ways for them both to die.

Perhaps he could suffocate the bitch in her sleep…

_No, then Inuyasha would feel her discomfort and come to her rescue, possibly destroying me before I can even hope to tear my claws out of her neck. No, taking them down one at a time is out._

Maybe he could shoot them down…

No, because Inuyasha has been the best at getting out of things like that since he was a kid. He could take down the entire gang with one machine gun cartridge if he's allowed even an inch. And he was always good at spotting his inches…Sesshomaru had never seen that Miko bitch with a gun, however, but what she could do with her hands was probably enough to destroy his men if it were enough to destroy Kikyo. 

Perhaps gas would take them out?

_Psh, don't kid yourself, they both have instincts that would assist them, for one thing. For another, gas never insured the death of anyone, especially an egotistical half demon with his temperamental bitch._

He was jolted out of his thoughts when Kouga suddenly burst through the door, announcing his entrance in the rudest way possible. If he weren't a demon, Fluffy would have taken him down a long time ago for his rudeness. "Knock, Kouga, and I'll be less likely to rip your throat out."

Kouga seemed a little disturbed, but that didn't stop him from answering respectfully to the only person that gave him a satisfactory position in the gang. "I'm sorry, sir, it'll never happen again."

"See that it doesn't." Sesshomaru growled and stared right at him. "Well?"  
He sighed deeply, readying himself. "She survived, sir, Inuyasha saved her."

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow at him rather crudely. "And how did that bastard find her in time? She should have been dead by the time that he got there, Naraku would have never allowed her to be traced and more than likely didn't have them automatically on his tail. She left enough blood to soak through the floors of that vehicle."

Kouga nodded. "That's what's puzzling, we have no idea how he found her so fast. Judging by all that blood loss, though, she would have been dead long before the police got there. Yet right now she's completely healed like nothing happened."

"The bond explains that, wolf. I just want to know his method of locating her. Nothing in their bond could have resulted in that."

Kouga looked down at his claws. "I'll find out for you, but it may take me a while. Give me a little time."

_That's too easy, Kouga. _"I'll give you one week, wolf, but I want to know the secret by then or you're in trouble."

"Yes sir." And with that, he turned heal and left.

Sesshomaru's thoughts didn't cease. He twisted around and sat ungracefully in his office chair, resting his chin in his hand as he thought carefully.

Kagome had been a curious object to him since she was a child. When her father had first began working with secret organizations and caught his attention, he had made it a goal to know everything about anyone that she knew and cared deeply for. What he thought Kagome was had been completely off the charts, and as it would seem, she turned out to be quite the little twisted vixen herself, dragging his bastard brother along with her and seemingly increasing his powers. Inuyasha had been scary before, but the two of them together definitely meant destruction for him if he couldn't find a way to stop that wench.

Sesshomaru's eyes flashed open and a sly, rare grin splayed on his face when realization hit. Kagome was definitely no Kikyo, but the two of them sometimes thought alike. Perhaps that would be her downfall; her thoughts were so similar to Kikyo's (except for Kikyo's insanity), and he knew to an extent about her thought patterns. The one thing they had in common was fear of being found, although after a short period of time Kikyo's diminished as she slowly lost her mind.

Surely Kagome was like another mystery, just a small puzzle that could be solved in the blink of an eye. If the Miko thought patterns were basically the same, then he could estimate an action when something happened to her. Of course, just as long as Inuyasha stayed out of his way or went down with her, then everything would work out as wished. She'd make a mistake one of these days, and he'd make her pay painfully for all the worry and time he had wasted on her.

He knew what Kagome feared most, and in that fear Inuyasha couldn't help her. He knew the one way to bring them both down, without having to dirty his hands on Inuyasha. Getting them separated, and possibly getting Inuyasha killed at gunpoint, then going in and killing her himself when she wasn't protected by the only person who truly cared about her.

Yes…that would suffice nicely.

He pulled out his cell phone and started making phone calls. He had planning to do, and it would pay off greatly for him in the end.

That would be her demise…and that Hanyou bastard of a mate would go down, too. Nothing would stand in his way, especially if it meant that his reputation would be fully restored to the most dangerous demon in the country.

Inuyasha certainly didn't deserve that title…

*~*~*^_^*~*~*

"Inuyasha, hold still, damn it!" Kagome continued to remove his weapons slowly while she sat on his waist in the middle of the hallway. He continued to fidget underneath her, trying to figure out why she had planned on doing this at the moment. To him, it didn't seem like the time or place.

Even though he was in the wrong position, it wasn't like he was complaining…much.

He glared up at her and growled softly. "What are you doing this for now?!"

"I feel like it, now shut the hell up!" After a small argument she had pulled a move on him so that he would cooperate, and because he wasn't prepared for her to take such action, he suddenly found himself pinned to the floor by an unusually strong human woman like it was routine for her.

Typical…the exact same move that he saw her pull on Sango had dragged him down as well. Kagome was really getting good at that…

She had effectively knocked the wind out of him, and when he realized what she was up to he made sure to struggle slightly. He wasn't used to being the one that sat still.

It was a full out dominance war as she tugged on his weapon strap, attempting to remove it so that the rest of his outfit would be easier to remove. And she was doing it like it was normal to after a small, harmless argument.

Inuyasha had no idea what had put her in this mood (or why he was complaining), but she _wasn't _about to win the role of dominatrix.

"Oh no you don't, bitch." He stated slyly, bringing one leg up and around her chest, forcing her on the ground with a loud thump on the floor. He moved quickly so that he had her in the same position, only with her wrists pinned none too softly above her head. 

He leaned forward to smirk down at her. "Now then, care to explain to me why you think _you_ are the dominant one in this relationship?"

Kagome grinned. This was a fight that would never be finished. "Because, my bastard friend, I'm simply better than you at everything."

"Well then…" He began unbuttoning her coat with a skilled one hand. He wasn't going to argue with what Kagome had begun, after all, he felt it would be a good idea. Besides, her struggle for the dominant role always excited him, although he would never admit it in his head because she would use it against him somehow. 

"Start listing the things you think you're better at." He never slowed down from his task, and her still protesting legs continued to make it harder to think about the conversation at hand. He secured his knees tightly around her hips and used his ankles to help pin hers down, preventing her from moving anymore.

"Oh for Pete's sake…alright, let's see, I'm a better archer, better sensor, better reader, better problem solver, better leader, better _arguer _for sure…"

"And a better screamer." He added as he managed to pull her coat off.

"That too, and…what the…hey!" She glared accusingly at him when he started ripping the seams of her shirt with his claws. It wasn't even her shirt, but as her protests grew he continued more vigorously and pulled it completely off of her. Kagome knew he loved a challenge, and now he was more turned on than ever.

And there wasn't a damn thing that she could do about it, either. Now he was in the mood, too. _HE _was in control.

"You jerk, that's Sango's shirt!"  
"Does it really look like I give a shit?" He stated and smirked wickedly, bringing up his claws in preparation to rip her bra off her body.

"Don't do that!" She glared at him and weakly protested while he rolled his eyes creatively.

"Boy, aren't we the odd one today."

"Hey pal, if you scratch me you'll have a hell of an earache."

"You're enough of a pain in my ass, anyway, why not add to that?" He bent down and viciously attacked her collarbone with his mouth, stalling the protests in her head for the time being. That is, until she realized what he was doing.

Inuyasha knew the most sensitive spots, and he was attacking them in general, which brought the protests right back up again.

"Inuyasha, you bastard…" She gasped as he nipped at her neck, succeeding in ripping her bra off in the same manner as the shirt without her noticing.

"Hey bitch, you might want to watch what you say. I'm the one in control, you remember that." He continued on his work while feeling Kagome think it over. She began to grow arrogant and another dominance fight would probably break out, possibly ending in him having to prove to her who was boss.

None of that mattered, he was the dominatrix and she would just have to get used to it.

She tried to get her wrists back, but Inuyasha would have none of it. "Stop struggling Kagome…" He purred, biting down on her neck hard enough to freeze her but that she didn't bleed. One quick nip and her entire body seemed frozen and rendered useless, as if that one spot controlled every nerve in her body.

Now he had more time to finish this task, and hopefully without all the interruptions and escape attempts this time.

She sighed in defeat after attempting to move her legs and relaxed completely against the floor. She glared up at him and blew bangs out of her face. "I hate you." She stated slightly.

Satisfied that she was actually admitting defeat, he grinned. "Only because I'm the best. Now hold still." He kissed her deeply, slowly letting her hands go and allowing her to move them around his head, pulling him closer. He took the role seriously this time, though, and if she tried to move her hands anywhere below his shoulders he'd growl and nip her skin as a fair warning. She'd then sigh with exasperation and put her hands back where they belonged. Or where _he_ thought they belonged, anyway.

He pulled back as he began slowly removing the rest of her clothing, never taking his gaze away from her face. "So what was the vision about?"

Kagome grinned while he basically undressed her like a mother would a young child. Now _here_ was something that he couldn't force her to do. She'd be difficult while he tried to make conversation. Heh, perfect plan… "What vision?"

Inuyasha growled and glared down at her. "What do you mean, _what vision_? The vision that scared the shit out of me!"

"I don't remember any vision." She stated, sticking her nose in the air. He sighed deeply and focused on pulling her pants off, making sure to toss them as far as he could into the bedroom. 

"Why aren't you telling me? You know I'll just beat the monk up for it later."

She sighed. _Ah, damn, I forgot about that._ "He's more frightened of me, Inuyasha, he won't tell you because it's an invasion of privacy."

"That don't matter, if he's scared for his own hide then he'll do like I tell him."

"I don't want you to know right now, can't you live with that?"

He snorted and gave her a strange look. "Let's think hard about that one, Kagome." He reached down to remove the last article of clothing but Kagome smacked his hand and sat up so that she could remove his. With a frustrated sigh, he allowed her to work, but he wouldn't put it to rest.

"Come on, talk to me. Is it somehow related to your mood?"

Kagome laughed slightly and her eyes shone brightly while she finished by removing his pants for him. "Maybe, I'll tell you that it would be a great thing indeed, but not at the moment because we still have Kouga and Fluffy to deal with." She glanced down at him and cocked an eyebrow. "I have a question…"

He smirked. "Yea?"

"Don't get cocky with this question, but do you _ever _wear underwear or do you like going commando?"

He chuckled and brought her closer so that he could slowly plant kisses on her jawbone. "No, underwear is too constricting. I don't wear them or boxers unless I have to, and I don't see anybody who's going to make me."

"I don't think _anyone_ has ever made you do something you didn't want to do." She stated, slowly inducing a torturous rub on his ears.

He purred softly and shook her hands off, eyeing her carefully. "Now _I_ have a question for you."

"Ok…"

"What's with the mood?"

Kagome laughed and touched his cheek lightly with her palm. "Maybe I felt, even if I didn't listen to you, that I needed a reward for beating the shit out of Naraku, too. I did that _without_ my Miko powers, and all I had gotten from you was a headache and some boundaries. Not to mention the more frequent arguments that we've been having…"

Inuyasha purred again and kissed her deeply, allowing her to move her hands back up to his ears. He moved his hands to the back of her knees and pulled them around his waist, then moved one hand to her lower back, lowering her to the ground. He had to admit, this was certainly an interesting spot in the home, but she was the one who had chosen it and he wasn't going to argue.

Kagome puzzled him at times, even more so lately when her eyes became that lovely blue. He had never seen anything so beautiful in his life, but he knew that those eyes had something to do with her actions and attitude. It seemed to cause her more strength and a fierier gaze, and the arguments they had lately were more heated and verbally abusive.

Inuyasha would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy it, and even her intelligent mind needed a healthy argument to function correctly. It was like a way to relieve stress, and Inuyasha had done it that way all his life. It was how they both got so good at it.

In the old days, an intelligent person would have annoyed him because they in likeness were like his brother. They would have infuriated him with large words that he didn't know and didn't care to know, and in the end he would kill them because he would let all the rage get to him. Sure, he could always outwit them even if they used large confusing words, but it still angered him to no end. It was pathetic at times. Only Sango at that time had been close enough to a good arguer that he would actually enjoy.

But then came Kagome, and even though he despised her at first, he couldn't bring himself to get rid of her. Her intelligence was some what based on her schooling; she argued just like he did because it was what she had done all her life to stay on top. He loved a challenge, and what he loved the most was how sometimes she managed to anger him greatly or render him speechless. He didn't know why he enjoyed it, but he did, and he knew that she was a person he would care about all his life. He'd never be able to find anyone else like her in the world.

And here she was, right beneath him while he prepared to make love to her.

She grabbed a lock of his hair and tugged. "Hey, I think you owe me three words."

He snorted and decided that cocky was all he wanted to be at the moment. "Please be quiet?"

Kagome made a noise, as if suppressing her laughter, but became arrogant again and furrowed her eyebrows. "You bastard, you know what I'm talking about."

"Yea, I know, but I wanted to see you squirm." He leaned more into her, putting his arms underneath her shoulders to brush against her hair. He planted a kiss near her ear. "Ok, ok…I love you, Kagome Higurashi."

She smirked in satisfaction and rubbed the bottom of his ear. "I love you too, and thank you for not being a smartass that time."

Inuyasha chuckled softly before kissing her deeply. He entered her all at once, not being quite as rough as he would have liked to be, but more forceful than the first time. Of course, this time was much different, he wasn't afraid of hurting her like he was that time. And it was a lot less stressful on his part since he didn't have to prop her up against a wall.

He set a low rhythm and listened to her moans as they brushed his ears. He kissed her neck, her shoulders, anything that he didn't have to strain to reach with the pace that he had set. After a moment she had wrapped her legs around his hips to pull him in deeper, and found that with that action she had dug her nails even more into his shoulders. But even with him so close to her and his slow pace going easy on her, it wasn't enough.

Kagome reached up and gripped his cheek, forcing him to stare at her with his lust filled eyes. "Harder, Inuyasha, faster."

Giving her a toothy grin, he bent down, gave her a quick chaste kiss, and locked his fangs onto her shoulder as he sped up the pace. One hand gripped her shoulder and the other moved to her hip, helping to hold her in place as he moved harder, as well. For some reason, Inuyasha had to make a mental note to argue with Kagome more often if it would result in this sort of thing. He rather enjoyed it after the adrenaline rush of a great conversation that usually ended with neither talking to each other.

Kagome closed her eyes as pure bliss once again took over her, Inuyasha soon following. He basically collapsed on top of her, using her breasts as pillows while holding her possessively to him. Something told him he should hold her like this forever, but his stupid brain didn't need to tell him unnecessary things while he calmed himself. He wanted to be left alone by everything so that he could rest in this spot forever.

Kagome's hands wound in his hair and kept his head held down while soothingly rubbing his scalp. "Inuyasha…"

"Yea?"

"Is it just me, or…"

"You have a strange feeling, too?" He asked, almost bored. Kagome stilled for a moment before resuming her ministrations.

"I can't figure it out…it's strange. I'm not sure I like it, either."

"I think something may be happening with Fluffy." Inuyasha's ears twitched as he raised his head to look his mate in the eyes.

"That sounds about right."

"Well, I suppose we need to go and get dressed in case he's trying to pull something."

She nodded and as he slowly stood up, she allowed herself to be hauled to her feet. Quickly retrieving her clothes, she put them on and rolled her eyes when a fully clothed Inuyasha gave her the 'what the hell took you so long?' look as he waited for her against a wall. He then grabbed her hand and led her back downstairs, forgetting all about the little 'vision' that he wanted to know about so much.

*~*~*^_^*~*~*

Inuyasha and Kagome sat in his office, both in very uncomfortable stances. Kagome leaned against the wall, tapping her finger impatiently against her forearm while one leg was propped up against the wall. Inuyasha sat _on_ his desk with his feet resting in the rolling chair. He almost seemed angry by the expression on his face, but Kagome knew that he was much calmer after spending time with her in the complex.

They waited, but for what? They didn't know what to do other than wait and find out because they had no idea what the feeling was related to. If it were actually something, then somebody would eventually come and tell them. In the mean time, they didn't move from their spots, and the only sounds they made were their breaths of frustration and patience.

Kagome looked up at the ceiling for what had probably been the hundredth time that hour and sighed. Nothing would happen if they sat here and waited for it. If they did something, it wouldn't take nearly as long to figure out what it was. She knew _exactly_ what to do to pass the time, and she knew that it would make them both feel better.

So…

Kagome walked over to Inuyasha and stood in front of him, crossing her arms and eyeing him carefully. "We can't just sit here, Inuyasha, we have to do something."  
"What do you propose we do that we haven't already?"

She rolled her eyes. "Advice to you; take your head out of your ass every once in a while. It makes everything more _clear…_"

He sighed. "Don't get me started, Kagome, I really don't want to argue right now."

"Well can't you see something from my point of view every once in a while? All I've ever done is listen to you."

He snorted. "LISTEN TO ME? _Honey_, I can't see anything but you anymore because you're always up in my face with something completely stupid! You can't ever understand why I protect you so well, or why I set up boundaries for you! Do you realize that even _with_ the boundaries and guarding, you've almost died three times? Think about it!"

She huffed and got closer. "That's all I ever do! I think, think, think just like you tell me to, but nothing ever changes my mind and it never will! All I ask is for a little more freedom!"  
"And all I ask is for you to understand! That's not that hard, is it? I thought you were intelligent."

"I thought you were just being an ass, but I think that you fit the bastard category much better!"

He snorted. "Right, sure Kagome, and like a crown doesn't belong on your head for the title of the Queen of Bitchery."

"I may be a bitch, but I think about things half the time, and I liked being able to do whatever I wanted to whenever I needed to! I feel like a hostage, one that doesn't ever get to do anything and has to have a constant babysitter!"

"Would you rather be with your dad, Kagome? Would you rather still be in that boring life with nothing else to do but argue for other's rights?"

She was quiet, but didn't back down. This wasn't supposed to get so intense, but now that it was there she didn't want to admit defeat. She managed to look him in the eyes with a glint that told him clearly that he was winning.

"Kagome, come on, you would never want that life back. You would have been taken by my brother and used like trash to get his way, and in the end you would have still ended up loosing your father."

"Stop it, Inuyasha." She stated, now not being able to meet his eyes.

"I can't, Kagome, not until you see. I don't care how painful it can be; you have to realize that just because you want the cards to be replayed doesn't mean that it'll ever happen. You'll never get your dad back and I'll never have my mother. I'm all you have, and you me, do you hear me? I can't risk loosing you, and I won't dare to."

Kagome looked up to him with pain filled eyes and sighed deeply. "Damnit…" It was clear that in the past, she might have cried about this, but she managed to keep it in check while admitting her defeat. "Alright, you win, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha reached forward and pulled her into a tight hug. "I won't keep you as a prisoner forever, Kagome. When Kouga and Fluffy are taken care of, then we'll put this all behind us and live like we're supposed to."  
She smiled against his chest. "I'd like that, Inuyasha."

"Good." He grinned. _Ha! She actually_ admitted_ that I was right!_

Before anything else could be said, Inuyasha's cell phone sang with the annoying buzzing sound that he usually loathed hearing. He stood, still with Kagome in his arms, and answered it about as well as usual. "WHAT the hell do you want?"

"Houston, we have a problem…" Miroku's voice came over the phone.

"What do you mean, monk?"

"Fluffy really got you good this time, bud. He one-upped you _real _good…"

"If you don't start making sense, I'll beat whatever sense you have left out of you."

Miroku sighed. "Listen carefully. Our sources have been monitoring Fluffy dearest for the past twenty-four hours without him escaping the view of the camera. We were watching him carefully…well…"

"SPIT it OUT, damn it!"

"He's ratted you out to the cops, Inuyasha. They now know that Kagome's alive, and in _your_ hands, and there's even photographic evidence. How that was obtained, we don't know, but you've been found out, my friend…and Fluffy has them believing it's a hostage situation."

Inuyasha paled and hung his mouth open in disbelief. The police knew that Kagome was alive. They _knew_ that she was well and in the hands of the most dangerous gangster in all of New York. Now they would have an excuse to hunt him down and get him at gunpoint…if they could manage to separate them, that is.

WHY! Why did they seem to want Kagome and him miserable? Fate had already decided them as mates, so why destroy the happiness they found in each other? What was so wrong with being with each other?

Inuyasha started to worry Kagome as she watched his face. It hadn't changed, and with the horrified expression, she was guessing that it was the worst possible thing that could happen at the moment. Of course, there were several of those kinds of things…

Miroku cleared his throat. "Inuyasha?"

"I'm here." He said quietly.

"What do we do?"

"I…I don't know…Kami, what can we do?"

"We're not sure, Inuyasha…it seems fairly hopeless. If they think it's a hostage situation, they'll try to bring you down once and for all. They'll be no way to stop them once they get an army marching up the doorstep."

He sighed and began to rub his temples. _This is SO not happening…I have to be dreaming…_ "What about running?"

"You're not one to run, Inuyasha, and you never have been. Where would you go?"

"Damn it, help me out here, monk."  
"I've tried to think of possible things…and the only thing I could think of you'll never go for."

Inuyasha just knew what he wanted to say. 'Let Kagome-chan go home on her own, lie and say that she was fine all along, and then continue on with her life for a short period of time. Then after a while, she could come back on her own and there would be no kidnapping charges to worry about.' 

Psh, like he'd ever trust Kagome in the hands of the law…once they got her back, they'd watch her so heavily, she couldn't go to the bathroom on her own. She'd never be allowed to come back to him where she belonged. She'd be back in that life, where no freedom was allowed for her whatsoever. Where other men would try to win her over with gifts, and attempt to make her forget about him.

__

No, never, there had to be another way…

"Forget it, monk, I'm not listening. There has to be something else."

"Then let me talk it over with Sango and call you back shortly. I suggest you stay away from all windows, too. They could have watchers already looking into your office at this very moment."

Inuyasha glanced out the window, but his keen eyesight couldn't find anything. "I'll keep that in mind. I want to hear everything you come up with in ten minutes." Then he shut his phone quickly and groaned into his hands. Did someone up there not want them to be together? It seemed not…

Kagome grabbed his shoulder and shook him. "Inuyasha, you're scaring me…"

He sighed and pulled his hands away to look down at her. The worry in his eyes made her gasp. She brushed his bangs out of his face and watched as he closed his eyes on the contact. "Inuyasha, what is it?"

He hugged her tightly and she could feel him trembling ever so slightly in fear. She slowly wrapped her arms around him, feeling herself tremble because he was. What could he possibly be afraid of? He had never been afraid of anything.

After a moment of silence, Inuyasha seemed to wake up as he stopped his trembling. "I want you…" He started quietly and calmly. "I want you to continue training with Sango. Every day, with me watching, and every time I want you to get her down and win the spar."

Kagome was shocked and wanted to pull back and stare at him, but his hands were latched onto her waist. Almost holding her possessively, afraid of letting go. "What's going on?"

"You have to be as strong as humanly possible with out showing your Miko powers, Kagome. If they find you, you have to be able to defend yourself without your secret getting out."

"Who'll try and find me? What are you talking about?"

"My stupid brother ratted me out. He had evidence of me having you, and now the police are looking for you. If they find you with me, it'll probably be considered a hostage situation and they could very well attempt to kill me."

She widened her eyes. "Inuyasha…they can't…they can't take you away from me. I won't let them…I won't go back, I refuse…"

He squeezed once around her waist and she quit her protests. "You have to remain calm."

"_REMAIN CALM?_ Inuyasha!"

"Hey, I managed! We just have to be calm until we figure something out."

She almost shook her head in disbelief. It _was _utterly impossible. NOTHING was making sense anymore! Why did the gods seem to attack her in person? WHY, when every time they overcame one obstacle another would come after her? Why wasn't Inuyasha entitled to be happy? Just what the fuck was destiny thinking this time?  
She grew angry immediately. "So Fluffy did this, did he?" She asked calmly. The thought of everything he had done to her was starting to make her hands itch to burn him to shreds with Miko energy.

"Kagome, don't even begin to think you're going after him. We have a lot of things to do first, and you have to listen this time, do you understand me?" Inuyasha pulled back to stare into her eyes, almost as if making sure she wouldn't disobey him. 

_Her_? Disobey _him_? HA! That was a laugh…

However, she couldn't think of a reason not to. He was right after all, and every time she had tried something before she almost died. Perhaps listening to her mate would be the answer, ne?

She stared back into his golden orbs and answered truthfully. "Alright, Inuyasha, I understand. I won't disobey you."

He nodded his approval and closed his eyes, leaning his forehead up against hers. "I swear to you that he won't get away with it. I'll tear him limb from limb."

Kagome looked down guiltily. She had a thought come over her mind. "Uh…Inuyasha…"

"Nani?"

She sighed. When he spoke Japanese, it meant he was too tired, upset, or worried to think of his English. "What if…what if I spoke to the police in person? What do you think would happen if I just showed up and talked to them?"

His grip on her tightened. "You will never see a policeman, Kagome. They'll treat you like a brain washed hostage and make sure to take me down anyway. Besides, you could be arrested."

She snorted. "ME? What did I do?"

"If you were 'gone' for so long without telling them about your position, then they could claim you as a run away and send you to jail or make you pay a fine. Then they'd never stop watching you, and I'd never get the chance to get you back." He shook fiercely at the thought. "No, the law won't get involved. You will not be leaving my sight, Kagome Higurashi, until this is all figured out."

She sighed and nodded. He was right, there was no need to involve the police.

However…something at her gut told her that they weren't done with the law, or Fluffy dearest. As of late, she'd been learning to trust her instincts, and knew that was a bad sign.

She vowed that Fluffy would burn for what he had done. Somehow he had managed to figure out how to take them down and separate them without getting his hands dirty.

The fucking nark was getting clever these days…and he would pay dearly for it.

*~*~^_^~*~*

"Oww…oww…OWW, KAGOME!"

"Give in and I'll let you go, Sango." She stated, standing above the woman on the mat. Sango was flat on her stomach with one arm pinned behind her back, and Kagome was slowly adding pressure to that arm until she could have very well broken it in time.

Inuyasha sat against the mat with a laptop on his lap, doing the constant research he had been doing for the past two days. The schedule had been the same for both him and Kagome; they'd get up and train, eat lunch, tend to club business, maybe train with guns and then go to sleep again at night. All the time they did this, if Inuyasha weren't absorbed in his laptop, he would make sure never to leave Kagome's side for anything. Not even when requested by the rest of the club. Hell, even a couple of times he was the one wrestling with her, keeping one hand behind his back for fairness while she attempted to knock him out.

Miroku stood nearby, watching carefully as his girlfriend and a great friend beat the crap out of each other, only every once in a while looking down to see what his _other_ friend was up to. Inuyasha barely even looked away from the laptop; only when it sounded like someone could have gotten harmed because he was making sure Kagome remained all right.

With how uptight and angry he was at the moment, something as little as that could probably snap him.

"Kami! I give, I give! You'll break my arm!"

Kagome sighed and released her, leaning with her hands on her knees. "I'm sorry, but if you don't say I give I have to continue with the torture."  
"Well Kagome, I promise that you'll be able to get normal humans down like that."

Miroku smiled softly. "Yes, you've found many new techniques that would probably make you one of the most professional self defense artists in New York."

Sango stood and held her head. "Wow, wrestling with you is like getting run over."

"Thanks." Kagome smiled softly and shook the wariness out of her eyes. She needed rest, she'd admit it mentally, but she wouldn't let Inuyasha know because he'd force her to go to sleep.

Miroku put his hand over his ear, listening to the speaker in his ear. Seeming to take everything in, he nodded and glanced at the boss. "Inuyasha, come here please."

Inuyasha growled and sat the computer down, standing to confront the monk. "THIS had better be good."

While Miroku pulled the Hanyou into a whispering conversation, Sango helped Kagome up to her feet instead of leaning. "Kagome-chan, you're really good at what you do, but can you not break my bones next time?"  
Kagome laughed softly. "I'm really sorry about that, but I'm following Inuyasha's orders."  
"Since when do you listen to Inuyasha? I mean seriously, you usually do whatever you want."

"He's right, Sango, he knows best and I need to listen to him."

Inuyasha turned around and rubbed his forehead, making sure that Miroku couldn't see any part of his face. "I don't want to hear this. It sounds fishy to me."

"Well what do you propose we do about it? It can't be ignored."

"I'm trusting my instincts, they're telling me not to go out there and risk Kagome's life."

Miroku rolled his eyes, desperately trying to keep from getting angry with his boss. That wouldn't end well for him. "Then what do we do?"

Inuyasha stared straight ahead and sighed. "I don't know, alright? I'm too busy trying to find out how to take down that bastard to worry about a minion of his."

"You used to know what to do all the time, Inuyasha. Where one of them is, there's bound to be more lurking around nearby."

Inuyasha snorted and stared at him. "What are you suggesting, then?"

"I don't know, I was thinking that maybe we could go out there and deal with it."

"Damn it…"

"Come on, Inuyasha, your men are no match for Kouga, and you know it."

Inuyasha growled to himself and waved his hand. "Miroku, it sounds way too easy for something that has to do with Sesshomaru."

"Inuyasha, I'm just as worried for Kagome's safety as you are, but Kouga will kill all of your men if you send them out there alone. He's not a very intelligent demon, but he'll know how to kill us all.

Inuyasha pressed his fingers into his closed eyes, almost as if he was trying to pull the frustration out of them. "Fine, we'll go out there and find that bastard, alright? Kagome, get dressed."

She rolled her eyes. "I _am_ dressed, I don't fight naked, you know."

He mumbled something that nobody could make out, but he spoke next in a louder tone. "Go put on your weapons, smartass. There's something that apparently needs to be dealt with so monk boy over here will shut the hell up."

Kagome nodded and did as she was told, Sango following her up the stairs and into Inuyasha's office. Inuyasha and Miroku sat in silence as they waited for her to come back. They didn't have to wait long.

She came back down, putting the gloves over her hands and adjusting her hair in the ponytail. The chains that hung on the sides of her hips clinked ever so slightly with every step she took. Miroku had silently observed the fact that she looked like she did the first time she was put in 'uniform'. Like a Matrix chick with a badass attitude.

Kagome almost shrieked when Inuyasha seemed to almost disappear before getting in front of her and crushing her body to him. While Sango walked to join Miroku against the wall, Kagome noticed calmly that Inuyasha was purring quietly, almost reassuring her, but not letting anyone else hear.

Not that she didn't need it. The feeling that everyone had that the little encounter they were about to have wasn't natural had been burning a hole into her brain. Something just wasn't right, and it seemed that even though Inuyasha knew it, he wanted to know what was going on.

Something that he cursed his demon for. Every dog demon was slightly curious about things like this, and almost couldn't help but find out what it was.

Kagome stroked one of his ears. _Don't worry, Inuyasha, everything will be ok._

**I worry, and there's nothing that anyone can do to stop me. If something happens to you, I don't know what I would do.**

You think it's going to affect me?  
**Duh, Fluffy's the one who staged it. EVERYTHING he does has something to do with you.**

Kagome shivered and forgot to think. "Still, don't worry so much, please? My stomach clenches when you worry."

Sango cocked a machine gun that hung off a strap on her shoulder and sighed. "Come on, we have to go now, you two. Kouga's waiting for us."

It seemed that Inuyasha ignored her, but after a moment he slowly pulled back and sighed deeply. He pulled two fingerless gloves out of his pocket and slipped them on, clenching his fists over and over. "If I find that bastard, I won't let him get away this time."

Miroku sighed. "Inuyasha, you need to let go of all your worry and regain your hostile nature. That's the only way you could have gotten as far as you have."

"Do you realize what you're asking me? If I'm hostile at the moment, I'll end up spraying blood everywhere and the police will have a field day. _Especially_ if Kagome's with me."

Sango shook her head. "You're loosing it, Inuyasha."

"Loosing it? LOOSING IT? I'm so fucking worried about her I don't know what else to do!"

"Picture Kouga attempting to kiss her." Miroku stated, and Kagome pierced him with a killing gaze.

"Miroku, what the hell are you thinking?!"

Sango gave Inuyasha weird looks. "I think it's working…"

Kagome and Miroku stared at him to see him slowly closing his fist to dig his claws into flesh while staring straight ahead of himself. His eyebrows lowered and his eyes narrowed until he finally gave into the feeling with a large scowl. 

The next thing they knew, he ripped a large knife out of his belt sheathe and growled lightly. "I'm going to gut that sorry bastard and make him wish he were never born!" Then he started his way out the door with the stomp that Kagome had met him with in the beginning. She made sure to follow closely behind, now more concerned for any people that got in his way instead of that nagging feeling in her gut.

*~*~^_^~*~*

All four of them arrived out on the streets searching around for the alleged threat. Miroku and Sango had actually began to wonder if it was a good idea to make Shippo and Kira remain inside the club, but they had to focus more on what Inuyasha was doing since he appeared bent on the wolf's destruction. Sango's idea had apparently put him back to the way he was, because he was now hunting down the demon with his instincts, doing anything and everything he could to catch the scent. Once he found a trace, it seemed as if he was an impenetrable force that refused to be stopped.

He snorted. It was ridiculous. Kouga was a threat to _his_ mate, and he wasn't about to let a _threat_ go unnoticed. Sango had really woken him up, he wasn't being near as defensive as he needed to be. He couldn't worry about her all the time, he needed to do something about it instead of sitting and sulking around.

Yes, he had really been slacking.

"KOUGA! Show your stupid face!" He panted as he caught another whiff of the demon in an alley. He turned to face it before cocking the machine gun and taking a step inside.

Miroku and Kagome eyed each other carefully. She glanced at Inuyasha. "Inuyasha, wait…"

"What?"

"There's something wrong. The aura's too strange."

Miroku nodded. "I agree. Something's not right, I don't think we should go in."

Inuyasha snorted and turned around, dropping his machine gun back into his coat. "Well, MONK, you're the one who made me come out here in the first place. What do you propose we do?"

Miroku sighed. "We need Kira and Shippo."  
"They're fine where they are."

"How about you go in and Kagome-chan stays out here with me?" Sango suggested, a little nervous glint in her voice. She knew very well that Inuyasha wouldn't go for it.

Inuyasha stubbornly shook his head. "I don't think so. I'm not leaving her alone with either of you. I'm not letting her out of my sight."

Kagome rubbed her eyes. "Then there's nothing we can do, Inuyasha. We have to go in or go back to the club because there's no other solution."

Miroku sighed. "How about Sango and I stay out here and make sure that he doesn't escape? I know Kagome will end up going with you into the alley, so let us stay out here."

He growled. "Fine, fine, whatever. Kagome, come on." He turned heal and headed into the alley, Kagome right behind him step for step and trying to keep her hands from gripping his arm in nervousness. She couldn't help but feel awful about whatever was going to happen because she knew that it would somehow greatly affect the two of them. The questions were, what was it and for how long?

Kouga showed at the end of the alley, standing up on a couple of crates so he stood above his enemies. "Well, well, if it isn't the bastard I've learned to despise."

Inuyasha snorted in response. "Well, if it isn't the bastard that's been asking for an ass kicking since the day he was born. Why are you here? Couldn't wait for me to kill you?"

"Actually, Inuyasha, my reason for coming back is better than that." He pulled out an envelope and smirked at Kagome. "So, you came too, did you Kagome?"

"What's it to you?"

Kouga stood straighter and a look of pure pride spread across his features. He opened up the envelope and began to read it. "Inuyasha and Kagome; a note from Sesshomaru. He wishes you the best of your time together and tells you to use it wisely."

Kagome took a step away from Inuyasha and closer to Kouga. "What the hell does that mean?"

He grinned. "Prepare yourselves."

Kagome was about to question him when the sound of what had to be a hundred guns cocking rang through the air. Inuyasha's gun was out and ready as he growled softly at the new sight before him, and Kagome was still pulling hers out of her coat. _Shit, shit, shit…_she thought to herself. This was exactly what she had feared. They were surrounded, and this time, it wasn't by the bad guys.

Officers wearing heavy armor mainly pointed their weapons at Inuyasha, and everywhere he looked there was someone hiding with yet another weapon pointing at him. He growled even more loudly when he realized that Kagome wasn't at arm's length and he couldn't hold her closely to protect her from the cops. 

By the looks of it, if he so much as moved the police would have his head.

Instead, Kagome turned and glared at Kouga. "What the hell is this!"

"Kagome, Sesshomaru is just making sure that you go back to where you belong. Inuyasha has kept you caged up in that cage of yours too long."

"CAGE!"

"He's brainwashed you, too."

Inuyasha prepared to take a step before a microphone hit his sensitive ears. "Inuyasha, do not move! If you do, we will shoot! Surrender yourself and release Kagome Higurashi!"

Kagome was about to scream at them, but Inuyasha sighed. "Drop it, Kagome. They won't listen." He said quietly, eyeing the people around him and intensifying his growl. He had fallen for the fucking trap, and now it put them both at risk. He couldn't see a way out without leaving Kagome behind. _Damn it to fucking hell…what do I do, what do I do?_

She tried to take a step to him instead, but a strong (unwanted) hand wrapped around her arm and pulled her back. "Stay back from him, Kagome, you don't want a repeat of last time."

She turned and elbowed him in the nose, only to be gripped harder with both his hands. She almost growled in his ear. "What have you fucking done?" She asked quietly.

Kouga smirked. "Sesshomaru has destroyed you the only way he knows how right now; by separating you two. You should have chosen me and not that dead bastard."

"Dead?" Kagome shook. Despite the fact that her enemy was holding her back and had his arms tightly latched to her shoulders, she couldn't help but nearly loose it because of that stray thought in her mind.

"Oh hell yea, after all Inuyasha has done, they'll lock him and kill him for sure." His mouth was closer to her ear as he whispered the next. "Wanna know how? They'll keep him in that cage with no way out, and they'll use as many guns as they can to shoot him until there ain't nothing left but hamburgers and bones." She gasped and attempted to smack him again, but he continued with his grip tightening. "You won't be able to stop them either, deary. There won't be anything that you can do."

She started really struggling, but she was no match for him. He managed to hand her back to three officers, who all had a hold of her for all they were worth just to keep her still. None of them had heard what Kouga had said to her and one persisted to attempt and calm her down. "Higurashi, please relax. We're rescuing you."

"Rescuing me? From what! You should have been saving me from him!" She nodded up to Kouga as they put her in handcuffs to keep her from hitting them. With fear in her eyes, she watched as Inuyasha started pondering to himself. He couldn't question anything, damn it! He had to get out of here!

They continued to order him to give up or they'd shoot, and the messages he was receiving from his brain were confusing the hell out of him.

He could escape with no sweat. He had been in this situation many times before and he could always dart out without being shot once. He could run so fast that he nearly disappeared and make it back to a safe distance to slowly take out the officers without complications. Of course, they weren't usually this heavily armored, but he'd manage to do it anyway.

The only problem was, he wasn't going to leave without Kagome. He would never even consider it. These people were considered a threat to her and she was supposed to be protected by him. In fact, her needs came before his own, and after he had finished twitching from the sight of Kouga touching her he managed to think it over quietly.

He still had all his weapons, his devices, everything. Kagome also had everything, too, and the police didn't appear to be in a big hurry to remove them. He bet silently to himself that not a one person in the area had enough guts to try and come near him for that. The only person who would even try is Fluffy dearest, and even he was too cowardly to face the two of them together.

But that was the problem…

Once they put Inuyasha in a prison, they'd keep Kagome locked away somewhere safe where they could attempt to get answers from her. Eventually, Sesshomaru would work his way in and kill her when she wasn't looking. In the meantime, they would say that Inuyasha had brainwashed her and that she didn't know what she was talking about, continuing over and over again to bother her with questions until she burst into flames. Knowing that she would be locked up and tortured really hurt him.

But what hurt most of all was that she wouldn't be allowed to see him.

If he dared to escape they'd still take Kagome and never give her back. They'd have her under such heavy watch that it'd be nearly impossible to get her back without making a scene that would have the army on their ass's. And possibly while he would have taken the cowardly way out, Kagome would have been suffering and it would break her spirit. She'd believe that she had lost another loved one, and that would be horrific end for her mind.

He couldn't let that happen. He refused to watch himself be the reason of her agony.

So, Inuyasha did the unthinkable, the only thing that made him as well known as he was and the only thing that would completely change his reputation forever. 

Sighing deeply, he chucked his gun on the ground a few feet away and held his hands up part of the way from his ears in a form of surrender. He looked more tired than anything as he glared up at Kouga. "Fine, take me."  
Kagome gaped. She couldn't believe her ears. "Inuyasha, what are you doing! Are you out of your fucking mind?!"  
He shrugged and met her eyes while a couple of brave souls approached him with handcuffs and shackles. The got fairly close to him before he moved his hands so they could cuff him, and they were terrified out of their minds when he had moved them as if expecting a slap. No one there expected him to give up easily; in fact, they were ready for the kill. They expected a fight.

The detective that had appeared on the scene approached Inuyasha and put on his handcuffs. He read Inuyasha his rights, the whole time Inuyasha rolling his eyes and snorting. "Detective, shut the fuck up. I don't care what my rights are and you know it."

"You should care, Inuyasha, this is your life that's on the line here."

"I've lived for two hundred years, what makes you think that killing me now will affect me?"

"I don't know, but it must have done a wonder for Naraku by the look on his face. We suspect you're the one who did that since no one else seems capable, and there was no evidence at all leading to it. That reeks of something you would do."

Inuyasha growled. "He got what he deserved."

"And you'll be getting what's coming to you for kidnapping Kagome. That was the final straw. If you want to save yourself, you'll be answering some questions." He reached his hand forward, as if preparing to grab a sword out of the great Inuyasha's sword sheathes, but Inuyasha jerked back slightly and growled.

"I'll let you take me to the slammer, but no goddamn cop is going to take anything off of me, do you hear me?"

"I'm the boss around here, Inuyasha, while you're arrested you are to listen to me."

"You're a fucking dumbass. I could break out of anything you put on me and slice you all to bits."

The detective sighed. "I gave you the right to remain silent, so I suggest you shut up."

A cop walked over, panting as if he had been running. "Sir, we need to talk."

"Not now."

"No sir…now…"

The detective rolled his eyes, but never turned his back on Inuyasha. That didn't go unnoticed by him. _Hmm…smart little shit. _"Fine, shoot."

"Kagome Higurashi is struggling too much, she'll have to be hauled in a police car. She says that she won't be going anywhere and that Inuyasha shouldn't be in handcuffs. It's so confusing…like she doesn't want to go back."

"Inuyasha probably has fucked her mind up somehow."

Inuyasha did his best imitation of an animal snorting. _You don't know the half of it._

"She claims the only way she'll go anywhere is if she gets a seat with Inuyasha in a car. I think we should believe her, too, she's very hard to control, even with multiple people. Almost like she's not human."

Inuyasha smirked. _Atta girl, Kagome, atta girl._

The man sighed. Taking a glance at Inuyasha he seemed to think about it, and then sighed again with another thought. "He hasn't harmed her yet, so I don't think he will. But there will be two guards in the seats beside them with stun guns if needed."

Inuyasha smirked again. They thought he would harm his Kagome. How inferior... "Why detective? You think I'm going to do something to poor Kagome? Sounds to me like she can handle herself."

"_Poor_ _Kagome_ has already been screwed up by you, Inuyasha, and she doesn't need anything else stuffed into that intelligent brain of hers. You touch her and your ass will go straight from that car to the electric chair."

"If you could get me there. I haven't done a thing to her and I never will."

"I'll remember that." They motioned for Kagome and Inuyasha to be put in the car, and for once without protest Inuyasha went. He couldn't believe himself; he was so calm it was frightening. Well, for the officers anyway. Him, well, he was content with not saying a word. No human dead or alive could keep him and his mate locked away in either a cell or an interrogation room for a couple of days, let alone as long as they were planning to. Inuyasha would rain on their parade for sure and the news would have a field day telling about the jail massacre.

He would have said his parting shot to Kouga, but the wolf was gone before anyone noticed. He probably went to tell Fluffy dearest of his work.

_Oh, that bastard's going to pay…_

While he was being stuffed into the cop car and followed around with stun guns, Kagome had managed to be placed in handcuffs, shackles on her legs, and even a blindfold on her eyes. She was sat in the car beside Inuyasha, and while she sat there attempting to look around, Inuyasha just smirked at her.

"Shit, Kagome, what'd you do?"

She turned slightly and sighed. "What's the matter with you? Why the fuck did you give up?"

"Because I refuse to allow them to harm you in any way, Kagome, and they would have probably done that if I had attempted to escape. I couldn't get out and grab you. You're surprisingly odd if you managed to get that tied up while I was gone. All I got were some handcuffs."

They ignored the cops in the seats completely. No need to acknowledge useless presence, even though the presence seemed entirely confused as to why Kagome would chat with her kidnapper like he was her best friend.

"Well, gee, Inuyasha, sorry for putting up a fight." She scooted closer to him and he managed to put his hand on her leg.

Of course, the cops had something to say about that. They pointed the guns at him. "Let her go, Inuyasha."

He growled deeply. "She ain't resisting, therefore it ain't illegal."

"Since when would you sweat the legal shit, Inuyasha? You are just putting more evidence on your victim."

Kagome snorted. "I _want_ him to touch me, so shut the hell up."

The cops couldn't say anything else and slowly pulled the guns back to their sides.

Kagome shook her blindfold off, letting it fall down her neck. She glanced at Inuyasha with her blue eyes and made direct eye contact with him to communicate telepathically. _Well, dear, what now?_

Inuyasha sighed deeply without breaking the eye contact. That was a really good question. What _did_ he plan on doing next? He knew that he wasn't going to cooperate very well, and he certainly wasn't going to sit around and wait for the cops to execute him and drive Kagome insane.

He smiled softly when he answered. _I guess I'm not really sure yet, I didn't plan ahead. Don't worry, we'll find a way out of this, I promise._

Her strange unbound hands gripped his shoulder and she grinned. _I still got it._

He sighed. _I suppose so, so maybe you can break me out of the electrical chair before they manage to stupidly shock me and piss me off._

*~*~^_^*~*~*


	19. The Tension Builds

****

A/N-Thanks for the reviews, and I'd like to point out that I've still got a ways to go with this story. I can't end this in just a few chapters, so for those of you who absolutely _love_ long stories, you couldn't have picked a better one. And you have to stick with me, I know Sango and Miroku weren't there for them last chapter, and Inuyasha and Kagome are just as surprised. While I'm doing this I'd also like to point out that I will be revising the whole story in my spare time (meaning I'll change any errors and fix parts that I don't like, etc…) I won't change the story completely, though, I'm not that mean :D

Disclaimer-Nope, don't own him. But I can dream, can't I?

Chapter 19-The Tension Builds

Inuyasha had spent the night in the slammer, not once moving from his spot. He didn't feel the need to do anything except ponder over his current situation. What was the point of doing anything else, anyway? The rest of the cells in the area consisted of people that were shocked out of their minds to find Inuyasha the Shadow Lurker in jail, and every set of eyes were on him all throughout the night. _Keeping out_ is one thing that made him famous, apparently. Almost as if they believed a cell couldn't hold him.

He had no doubt in his mind about that, either. If he really wanted to, he could snap the bars in half and kill everyone that had so much as looked at him or Kagome.

He leaned against the wall, eyeing his handcuffs carefully. The police had refused to let him out of them, and he found it hilarious because they seemed oblivious to the fact that he could simply snap the chain. They didn't try to take anything else off of him, though, but they were starting to be bolder with him in their threats, and it was driving him crazy.

He was used to everyone doing everything his way, barking orders and having them immediately obeyed or having the pleasure of killing ones that disobeyed him. At the moment he felt trapped, like Kagome always claimed to be, and normally when he felt trapped or cornered, his demon immediately went into defense mode.

Of course, if that had happened, then obviously everyone in the area would be dead.

Why did he feel that holding his ground was the best thing to do at the moment? He refused to be as heartless as he normally had been, refused to just grab any random guard and attempt to pull him through the impossibly tiny bars like a beast. He had to admit, that's all he wanted to do, since his cell was the only one guarded by three men constantly staring at him with shock guns perched protectively in their hands like he was due at any minute to be labeled 'rabid'.

But then again, taking such action would possibly give him the death sentence, and he was trying to hold out on that for a while. He would get one, no doubt for all the stuff he'd done over the years, but he knew that if he were "good" then they would take forever to have it fall through.

Not like an electric chair would kill him…it would only succeed in pissing him off. But if that didn't work, they'd gun him down, and even though he was partially immune to the damage of a bullet, he could be killed if he received enough.

His darn instincts though…they were refusing to let him take action. Even when he really wanted to destroy the bastards outside his cell, he couldn't do it. His demon instincts were telling him not to, and that they should take caution to the shock guns. 

__

Hmm…maybe my instincts don't want to be stunned. As unappealing as the thought was, it wouldn't have stopped him in the past. He would have done all that was humanly possible to rip some arms out of their sockets. He was surprised that they didn't have a muzzle over his mouth, although with his language that was promised to him in the future.

He was surprisingly calm, especially since Kagome was nowhere around him. She was somewhere in this building, being interrogated or held back, he wasn't sure which. It didn't matter, though; the thought made his blood boil. She was being insulted and he was powerless to stop it. He knew that she would try as hard as she could to see him, and the police would think she was completely out of her mind.

They did, as a matter of fact, and they accused Inuyasha for it, convinced that he had a part in her way of thinking (which he did, but that wasn't the point). They wouldn't leave him alone about it. 

Speaking of which…

A detective walked down the hall and stood in front of his cell, just out of arm's length from the bars in case Inuyasha decided to make a grab for him. "Ready to talk yet, Inuyasha?"

"Fuck you, detective." He stated calmly, sounding more human than he had thought possible. He seemed tired, but never looked up from his view with the handcuffs like they were the most interesting thing in the world.

"I thought that you were a lot more hostile than that."

"Come on in and you can see how hostile I get." He growled, making sure to never glance up at the detective.

"What did you do to Higurashi?"

Inuyasha finally eyed him carefully. "I didn't do _anything_ to Kagome. What are YOU doing to her?"

"That's none of your concern. You've apparently brainwashed her. She's so convinced that she wasn't kidnapped that she's gotten a cop down in a headlock and had to be pried off by four men."

"Did she kill him?" He asked with a hint of amusement.

"Of course not, our police force can handle a nutcase like Kagome."

He growled so deeply, he thought he would cough up his voice box. "DON'T you DARE call her a nutcase! She's more intelligent than anyone else in the city, and certainly more intelligent than you."

"Which is why I wonder how she ended up with you, Inuyasha.

He spat at him childishly to resist the urge of grabbing him and pulling him through. "You fucking bastard…"

"Inuyasha, for the last time, what did you do to Kagome Higurashi?"

Inuyasha growled, staring at his handcuffs carefully, then narrowing his eyes at the detective. "If I wouldn't talk to you an hour ago, what the hell makes you think I'll talk now?"

The detective sighed, slowly pacing in front of his cell. "I must admit, Inuyasha, I feared you for a great period of my life. Everyone feared you, even your own friends." He walked forward and gripped the bars, daring to lean forward so that he could mock like a naïve child. "But you are nothing more than a coward who hid behind what you are. Your demon heritage and your brother's reputation kept you on top and feared by everyone in the country."

Inuyasha bared his fangs and started pulling on the handcuffs, causing the chains to clink together in protest. He was loosing it, but he couldn't help it. This man would pay for what he said. "You wanna know why I'm feared, detective? You wanna know what earned me my reputation?"

The detective smirked. "You couldn't do anything, Inuyasha. There are stun guns right behind me, prepared to shock if needed."

"You think I care?" Inuyasha broke the chain off the cuffs and jumped forward with lightning speed, grabbing the detective's collar and attempting to pull him through the bar like he had previously fantasized. The man's head was being beat into the bar with every hard pull, and the men with guns had them shot out and all at once they started the painful burning shock on his arms.

With a growl he jumped back and knelt down, panting heavily and snarling while the pain of the burns on his arms subsided. Everyone else in the other cells seemed to be either shocked out of their minds or strongly enjoying the sight of a cop getting pounded into a bar.

The detective was semi-conscious as he stood on his feet, holding his now bruised head. "You deserve death!" He spat. "A filthy half-demon like yourself doesn't deserve to survive in a world like this."

Inuyasha pulled up one hand and showed the man his claws. "You see these, detective? If I really wanted to I could bend the bars and rip you to shreds."

"Then why don't you, Inuyasha? Why not kill me and escape from your charges?"

He continued to growl as he stood and ventured closer to the bars. The men jabbed their guns in warning so that he didn't get to close, but he just grabbed the one closest to him and ripped it out of the officer's hands. He brought it back into his cell and pointed the end at the detective. "Because I choose not to. You're not the one I'm after."

The doors burst open to the room and Kagome could be seen making an urgent entrance in with several people following her. One seemed desperate to stop her. "Miss. Higurashi, please listen to me…"

"No, you listen to me! I'm SICK of hearing you people talking to me! I'm a grown woman, I'll do whatever the hell I desire, so BACK OFF!"

Inuyasha seemed dazed at that moment, dropping the gun on the ground and leaning forward in the cell. His anger began to calm just seeing her approach. "Kagome..."

She walked closer, but the detective grabbed her arm. "Kagome, he's a dangerous beast. You need to stay back."

She jerked her hands out of the officer's grip and snorted. "I'll be the judge of that. I'm sick of you people giving me advice like you know him and know me. Let me in the cell."

One of the guards snorted. "She is insane. She wants to get herself killed."

Kagome ignored them and walked closer to Inuyasha, watching him lightly reach his hand out so that he could hold her. As she prepared to give him her hand, however, an officer proceeded to stun his hand, making him rip it back and growl very deeply. "You son of a fucking bitch…"

Kagome reached back and slapped the guard hard across the cheek. "You fucking bastard, he didn't do anything to me and he never will! Now let me in that cell or I'll find my own way in!"

The detective proceeded to rub his eyes and glanced at her. "Why do you need to be near your attacker, Kagome?"

She snorted. "He's not my enemy. Now let me in."

"Why should I?"

"I'll be Inuyasha's lawyer, and if you don't I'll take you to court, sir. I have every right to join my client in the cell for discussion." She stated quietly and professionally. Kagome was completely sick of people interrogating her and attempting to run tests on her. They thought she was insane now…well fine let them think what they want. All that mattered was getting Inuyasha out, like she knew he badly needed.

The detective glanced at Inuyasha carefully and seemed to think his decision over carefully. "Very well, Higurashi, he hasn't hurt you yet and I don't think he will. But two guards must go in with you for safety reasons."

"Detective…"

"That's the only way, Kagome. You take it or leave it."

She sighed and Inuyasha growled. "I don't care which one of you people join's her, just as long as she can come in."

"Eager, aren't we Inuyasha?"

He scowled and Kagome childishly rolled her eyes. "I'm warning you, detective, you let me in and leave him alone if you know what's good for you."

"Is that a threat, Miss Higurashi?"

"No. You'd know it if it was a threat." With that, the guards shrugged and unlocked the door, demanding that Inuyasha back away from it. He rolled his eyes and actually listened, holding his hands by the sides of his face while Kagome followed the two guards in. After they lined up against the wall with their guns poised and ready, Kagome glared at them and approached him without any hesitation. 

The guards were shocked out of their mind when he pulled her into a tight embrace. They were tempted to use the stun guns on him out of fear and surprise, but she was not afraid of him at all and so they didn't take any action.

She closed her eyes tightly and squeezed for all she was worth. "I'm sorry, Inuyasha." She said quietly. Not like it would matter; everyone in the area could hear what they said.

"What are you sorry for? It's not your fault."

"I feel responsible, and horrible. These bastard freaks have been interrogating me ever since I got here, and I can't take it anymore."

He held her tighter, slightly stroking her hair and glaring at the confused people behind her. "Just don't talk to them, Kagome, they're too damn stupid to listen to anything."  
"You're telling me. I've worked for them in the past." She inhaled and exhaled deeply, relishing in the feel of his leather coat against her cheek. After a whole night of not being around Inuyasha, she had learned to greatly appreciate the little things in life with him, especially the arguing. She missed the feel of him molded against her more than anything in the world.

He lightly ran his claws over her scalp, drawing a content sigh out of her. She decided to whisper as if she had forgotten about her telekinetic abilities. "I promise I'll get you out of here."

"You can try if you'd like, but I'll do it on my own eventually."

"Inuyasha, you're not immortal. You can't do everything on your own."

"I did for two hundred years before you came along, _sweetie_. I'm sure I can manage."

She sighed deeply. That could have very well become a long argument that they couldn't afford having, so she decided to drop it. "Just don't get yourself killed."

"Fine, try not to kill any cops."

She snorted softly and clutched him tighter. "Do you think I can stay here with you? I really don't want to leave."

The detective cocked an eyebrow. "Well this is certainly surprising…I'm sorry, Higurashi, but Inuyasha shall be spending his time alone in the cells."  
"No one asked you." She bit out sharply. If possible, she squeezed him even tighter. It was then that he took the time to notice that she wasn't wearing her leather coat. His ears began to twitch madly.

"Kagome, where's your coat?"

"They took it off me."

He flinched. "Why?"

"I don't know, when they apprehended me the second time they pulled it off and wouldn't give it back. They couldn't get anything else off me, though."

He bent down and whispered in her ear, the one that wasn't in view of the officers. "Where's your cell phone?"

She reached into his coat and hooked a finger on his pocket, tugging on it several times. He nodded in understanding and kissed her cheek, once again finding that ear to whisper to. "If you get the chance, call Sango and Miroku and tell them what's going on. Don't let anyone see you do it. I would, but these people seem to have to watch me even when I take a piss."

She nodded. She pulled back to look directly into his eyes. "You know you're on thin ice with these bastards as it is, so do me a favor and behave yourself."

He smirked and chuckled softly. "Behave? You know me better than that."

"Inuyasha…"  
"Alright, alright…I'll try to stay out of trouble."

"While you're in here, you have to be calm, because if you're not then I'm not and if I'm not then I'll end up castrating a few of the cop bastards and…"

He kissed her quickly to end her chattering. "Kagome, I'll be good. I promise."

The detective tapped on the bars. "Miss Higurashi, it's time to go. We have talking to do with Mr. Inuyasha."

Kagome gave him a piercing glare. "I'm not done yet."

"I don't care, I want you out of there. It seems to me that if you stay in there any longer I'll end up watching a very disgusting dance."

Kagome flipped him off and turned back to Inuyasha, letting him hold her again. She buried her face as far as she could into his shoulder and while she talked, her voice muffled against leather. "I don't want to leave. I want to stay here with you and rot in the jail cell."

He chuckled softly. "Same here." He placed his hand back on her head, clutching her to him like a mother while protecting her child. Tempting as the thought was to just kill everyone and get them out, he knew that staying put for the time being was the best thing. 

However, that didn't mean that he couldn't be childishly possessive and _not_ give Kagome back to them…

The detective again sighed, clearly getting aggravated. "Higurashi, lets go."

"No."

The guards moved forward and proceeded to tap Inuyasha on the shoulder with their guns. "Come on, Inuyasha, let her go. She has to leave."

"There ain't no fucking time limit, you people are asking for it so back off."

"You wouldn't know if there was a time limit or not because this is your first time in a jail, and as far as I can see she'd be the only one to visit you. Now let go."

He bent down to whisper to her again before they shocked him. "Remember to call Sango and Miroku, and make sure that there's no camera's around. Come back in here when you get the chance."

She snorted. "No duh, Inuyasha, that's all I spend my time doing."

He smirked and continued. "Make sure to be as uncooperative as possible and don't talk to them."

She grinned while she felt the police pulling her out of his arms. "Maybe I could earn myself a jail cell and join you."

"That'd be humorous." They stunned his shoulder and he released her, pulled his hand back and punching a guard in the face. Of course, all the other guns were shocking him by then and he backed up with a menacing growl until he hit the opposite bars. _Ah, damn it to hell, I'm not a fucking animal but they're certainly treating me like one. _After the other officers managed to drag Kagome out, the ones that had shocked him soon followed, slamming the bar door into place.

After they hauled her out of the room, the detective dismissed the other guards. Inuyasha rolled his eyes, for even if he hadn't spent time in a jail before he knew what this meant. The stupid man was about to tell him something that he didn't want everyone else in the jail to know. It wasn't a promising thought.

He slowly began pacing again, only this time as far as humanly possible from the bars. "You wanna know what's in store for the two of you?"

"You're going to tell me whether I want to hear it or not." He moved closer to the edge of the bars, standing arm's length away from them. He wanted the man to see him if he got angry. Intimidation was a wonderful thing.

The man sighed deeply. "Tell me something first, Inuyasha. I know you kidnapped Kagome, I'm not stupid. She had no plans whatsoever to leave. I even know now after the little show you two put on that you have an intimate relationship with her. What I want to know is how you managed to get her mind to this point, and why her eyes are now that unique blue."

Inuyasha crossed his arms over his chest again. His ears twitched, alerting him to the fact that he once again had the attention of every man in the surrounding cells. "Why should I make it easy on you?"  
"Because if you don't tell me a good reason that proves she's not insane, then she'll be sent to the mental home tonight. Wrapped in a straight jacket and everything."

Inuyasha growled. "She's _not_ insane, she's just gotten her taste of the real world and had a chance to choose between the old reality and the new one. She's the way she is because she's always wanted to be like that, and as for her eyes I think that's none of your damn business."

He nodded once and looked down. "Very well. I'll continue…your future doesn't look very bright, in fact the courts have initialized a death sentence immediately. You have killed so many innocent people over the years and robbed so many stores that it's a wonder you haven't been caught before."

Inuyasha looked away. "Keh." Was all he could respond. This was ridiculous…what the hell was this man trying to prove? He wasn't caught before because he was heartless. Now with a heart that beat only for his mate, he had to admit that it was a lot harder to look out for both of them instead of just himself.

"Kagome Higurashi, however, well that's a different story. It's clear that in the death of the demon Naraku, she had been somewhat involved. The blood samples that we took from her match the stains in the limo perfectly. We also found this…" He held up the black leather coat that Naraku had ripped from her and Inuyasha raised his eyebrow in response. "This is Kagome's size, and it even has Kagome's name on the tag. Why, if Kagome was involved so deeply in that, does she not have any wounds on her now? That incident was merely a week ago, and she's up to full health."

Inuyasha sighed. "I don't know, you tell me, you're the expert."

"Inuyasha, if she had something to do with this murder, Kagome Higurashi could very well earn herself a death sentence."

"WHAT? She had nothing to do with it, if there's no wounds on her body or fingerprints on Naraku's then you've got no proof of anything, pal."

"How'd you know if there were even fingerprints, Inuyasha?"

He grunted and shoved his face in his hands out of frustration. "Son of a…I know everything, ok? I'm just a fucking psychic."

"These games of yours are getting foolish Inuyasha, and I will not wait much longer for the answers. I'll leave you time to ponder, but you can't try anything because our guards have guns that were _specially_ made for you. You will regret ever laying your hands on Kagome Higurashi." Then he turned and left, for once leaving him alone, or as alone as he could get. There were still many people in the other cells staring at him.

He didn't care. That man had just told him that he would die very soon, and that Kagome was probably going to die as well with charges that he couldn't prove. 

Kagome wouldn't die, of course…they'd find a way out of this before that happened.

The first order of business upon escaping jail would be to obliterate the final threats to their existence; Kouga and that stupid brother of his. Inuyasha swore up and down that he would torture his baka brother for days on end for what he had done to Kagome and himself. Yes, and Kouga would be found mysteriously pinned against a tree with knives somewhere outside the city...

The last thing that man had told him is what really made him laugh. He couldn't have grinned bigger if the man was still there to taunt. Regret, huh? There were few things in his life that he would ever regret, and laying his hands, feet, body, etc on Kagome wasn't one of them.

No, no matter what happened, he would never regret that…

*~*~*^_^~*~*~*

Hours later, Kagome burst into the bathroom and sighed with relief. "Ugh, finally!" All that ignorance was really making her tired. She'd been in the rooms again for hours, pretending not to hear a word that was said to her. She'd just turn her head and pretend that the man simply didn't exist.

The best part was knowing that they couldn't do anything to her for it. She had the _right_ to remain silent. She didn't have to say shit if she didn't want to.

But she had to admit that being ignorant was fun. They'd get angry with her for not saying a word, and she'd simply smirk back at them without a care in the world. It was always fun to watch them try to figure out a way to get her to talk.

She checked every stall for occupants and then chose the one at the end, locking it carefully. Sitting down on the freezing stool, she brought her knees up to her chest and pulled out her phone to start the delicate operation.

After dialing Sango's number, she rocked slightly in the stall. _No names, there's eyes and ears everywhere, don't say their names…_

Sango answered on the third ring. "Hello?"

"Hey, it's me."

"Kagome-chan? Where are you, what happened, is everything alright? Oh Kami, I'm so sorry, Miroku and I waited outside the alley and we didn't hear anything, and so we snuck up the alley to see what had happened but all that we saw was a couple of cop cars driving away from the other end…and…"

"Shut up and listen carefully. I've been instructed to only tell you our whereabouts and our current situation, but I can't tell you anything more right now." She cleared her throat and began. "It was indeed a trap, hundreds of cops apprehended us and took us to the prison. Inuyasha's been thrown in the slammer and I've been under interrogation for the past twenty four hours."

Sango gasped. "Shit, what can we do to help?"

"Nothing as of now, I told you that my instructions are to tell you of the situation and nothing more."

"Kagome, the club's been going nuts, and I might add that Rin had paid us a visit to 'see how things were going' before we kicked her out. Miroku and I have no orders to run the club, and we are completely clueless. You've got to help us out here…"

"Look, I'm doing the best I can…" She laughed nervously. "I've only gotten to see Inuyasha once for five minutes in the past twenty four hours, and he told me to tell you this much until I see you again. My advice to you is to pretend that we gave you orders and run the club based on that. That's all I can do for now." 

"Yes, Kagome-chan."

She heard a door open and flinched. "I've gotta go, bye." She whispered before shutting her phone and putting it in her pocket. Someone knocked on her stall and she flushed the toilet, jerking open the door to glare at the female officer who had come to retrieve her. 

However, she was shocked to find that she was looking directly into the face of Kira.

The she demon gave her quite the cocky smirk. "Boss, you should relax a little. I haven't come for your head or anything."

Kagome resisted the urge to wipe her eyes, like a child seeing the _real _Santa Claus. "How did you get in here?"

She flashed her claws with a toothy grin and all the arrogance that any demon possessed. "Let's just say that Shippo and I have our ways around."  
"Shippo's here too?"

She nodded but sighed deeply. "I have to perform a few tricks though before I can bust you out of here. I'll need your help, boss."

Kagome nodded. She couldn't believe her luck. "Anything, if you can get us out of here."

Kira began putting her hair up in a bun, wrapping delicately with experience that only hours alone in a police station could give her. "Now Kagome, I need you to do me a favor." She motioned to a black bag against a wall. "I paid a visit to the wardrobe in this forsaken dump and got myself a uniform. The only problem is I can't button everything up without getting frustrated and ripping it apart, so I'll need your help."

"What about ID, Kira? Everyone in the facility has one." Kagome stated as she rummaged through the bag.

"You know Shippo had said something about that too." She pulled a card out of her skintight black pants and showed it to Kagome. It had her picture with a lot of changes that could easily be made by makeup and contacts, and a fake name that read 'Officer Rave'. Everything else was completely accurate, and by the sounds of it Shippo had everything taken care of.

"Boy, he does know what he's doing, doesn't he?"

"That's what I love about him. He's not a tough demon, but he's very intelligent. He probably beating up a cop right now for a guard uniform so he can meet us in the prison complex."

Kagome glanced around. "Kira, I'm not sure that this is the time or place to talk about that…"  
"Listen, I've already checked the place out. Stupidly, there are no cameras in private areas like this one. Trust me." She began dressing as she talked. "He'll wait until we get in there before he makes the move. What I'll do is I'll unlock the door so you can go in, and as soon as it's unlocked Shippo will start randomly knocking out the guards, and with Inuyasha's help we'll all escape according to plan."

Kagome smirked. "Wow, how long have you been planning this?"

"We had you're wallets traced, although Sango and Miroku didn't know it at the time; Sango was too busy freaking out and Miroku was trying to comfort her while running the club…But I take it that they know now because of your phone conversation?" With Kagome's nod, she continued. "We knew what was happening and went on from there. Help me button this thing."

Kagome sighed as she assisted Kira. "You and Shippo make a great team."

"Well I don't mean to brag, but every plan I have ever plotted has come out to my expectations. It never fails, and this one shouldn't either, especially since Shippo helped."

Kagome looked down with a sudden feeling in her stomach. Inuyasha was worried about something, and she needed to talk to him. "Kira…how long do you think this will take?"

Kira glanced at her with sad eyes. "I honestly don't know, Kagome-chan. By the sounds of it, you usually fight for the right to visit him, and I was going to be the one to 'watch over you' while you went in. I heard the cops talking and it seems to me that they don't think Inuyasha will do you any harm. They'll still have one guard following you around, but other than that they're sure he won't hurt you."

"They finally believe me, ne? Those people are the darkest crayons in the damn box." She helped Kira adjust a hat on her head so that her bun was perfectly hidden. "Kira, please tell me you have make-up to cover those pretty markings. They'd never let a Youkai be in the police force if they knew about it."

"Kagome, sweetie, I have everything under control." She winked when Kagome gave her an irritated look before returning back to her clothing. She continued to make Kira look as much like the cops outside as she could while the woman started applying plenty of make-up to hide her markings.

After a minute of watching her, Kagome assisted her with her make-up, trying to hurry things along before one last thought crossed her mind. "I thought that Kitsune's weren't that dangerous."

"I'm a fire cat, of course I'm dangerous. Shippo, however, he's a fox, which means that he's more intelligent than he is dangerous. Of course, I wouldn't worry about Shippo; he's plenty dangerous enough with his new _toy _that he just _can't_ do without." She rolled her eyes while taking beautiful gold hoops out of her ears and putting them in her pocket.

"You mean that strange sword of Naraku's?"

"Yea, he's played with it for a while now, even when he's supposed to be watching the security. He can run it pretty well, so I think that he'll be all right. I mean, he helped come up with this plan, so he knows what he's doing."

A loud pounding occurred on the door and Kagome sighed. "What the hell is it?"

"Miss Higurashi, what's taking you so long?"

"Look, I'll come out when I'm damn good and ready! Can't I have a LITTLE privacy!"

The guard seemed to think it over or ask another person before he replied. "Very well, but don't take all day. I have more questions to ask you." His footsteps became distant memories as he walked away, and Kagome sighed with relief.

"I swear it would just be easier to burn them all with Miko energy and just get the hell out of here."

"By order of Inuyasha, you are not allowed to use your Miko powers like that unless instructed. He worries that you will end up exposing yourself and having the whole world after your head."

"_He's _the one who should be worried. The court has already decided that he needs the death sentence."

"We'll get him out before then, I promise." Just as she finished with her uniform, she strapped on a belt that had her handcuffs, gun, etc. She tightened it and smirked at Kagome.

"I need you to cooperate. This is a large station, so they won't know that I've never been here before. I'm going to haul you out like I caught you doing something and then I'll sit with you through the conversation. I need you to continue asking to see Inuyasha again, too. That's a must, and I'll be the one to take you. It'll all work out well, I promise."

Kagome sighed. "Well if you want me to throw a fit and make a show out of it, then I'll do it. Tell me when you're ready."

Kira made her last minute adjustments and walked over to the bathroom door, glancing out to make sure that no one was around. She came back in and grabbed Kagome's arm. "Alright boss, start throwing a fit. I want to see you in action."

Kagome grinned and let out a long breath before bringing it in and…"Get your hands off me, you fucking bitch! I can spend as much time as I want in the bathroom!"

Kira was impressed, but continued in an equally loud voice. "Miss Higurashi, trying to climb out the bathroom window is enough to tell me that you're through." She gripped her arm tightly and started pulling her outside of the bathroom, Kagome resisting the whole way.

Kagome smirked before leaving the room. She had to be a real good actor to pull this off, and she was passing with flying colors.

The detective and a few other men came to see what was going on, and just as Kira had predicted the man didn't know she wasn't a cop. "Officer, what's going on here?"

She kept her hold on Kagome's arm and sighed. "Sir, I caught her trying to escape through the bathroom window. I thought I'd bring her out here and help you keep an eye on her."

Kagome snorted. "I don't need another babysitter, I need Inuyasha! I want to see him, NOW!"

The detective shook his head. "Well you're not going to see him unless you can answer some questions." He eyed Kira carefully and her grip on Kagome's arm tightened slightly. "Officer…I don't believe we've met."

Kira nodded once in respect. "Officer Rave, at your service, sir. May I request to stay with Higurashi?"  
"What's your reason?"

"I've met her before. I feel that she'd be more comfortable if someone she's at least seen before was around with her."  
He nodded. "That's understandable. I agree." He looked at Kagome. "As for you, Miss Higurashi, climbing up the wall to escape out a small window is truly insane. I should send you to the brig for that."

"Anything's better than getting the hell interrogated by a couple of dipshits who don't know what they're doing."

He snorted, rubbing his forehead. "I don't like it either, Higurashi. I would like to sleep sometime today. Now come on back to the interrogation room for a while. Answer a few of our questions and we may consider allowing you a short visit with Inuyasha."

"Can I visit him alone?"

"No, I can't allow anyone to be alone with him at any time. You have to have at least one officer in there with you."

Kira sighed. "Can I be the one who followers her around?"

"I suppose so. Just watch yourself, Inuyasha can be ruthless." He turned and led everyone back into the interrogation rooms. Kagome had to suppress her happiness so that she didn't end up grinning like she _enjoyed_ the interrogation.

Things so far were going very well, as long as Inuyasha managed to stay out of trouble then everything would be fine…

~*~*~*^_^*~*~*~

"No."

"Please?"

"I _said _no." Inuyasha continued to stare straight ahead of himself, trying his best to ignore the pesky man in the cell next to him. He could feel his anger rising with each passing second because the man would not stop asking to escape with him when he did. He even insisted that he could be in Inuyasha's gang and kill any opposing threats. Inuyasha had just snorted when he said that.

The thought was ridiculous…the man reeked as if he hadn't bathed in weeks, and he was the scrawniest little thing he had ever seen. What good would it do him to let him out? He'd find more use for him in the entertainment department if he could just simply twist that head off his shoulders…

His anger boiled in the pit of his stomach, making him even more aware of its presence. He really needed Kagome right now…

"Come on, now, surely the Great Inuyasha has some compassion if he is dating New York's toughest lawyer?"

"Shut the hell up before I kill you, do you hear me?" He finally turned his gaze toward the man and shot him a cold stare. The man visibly stiffened and took a step back.

"But…but it's true. And that's a threat."

"I _love_ threats, and I usually follow through with them." He smirked at the man when he shivered. He could smell fear a mile away, but still the man continued stupidly on. Like Inuyasha was going to hear his point of view…

"Why date that lawyer? If she's with you then she must be good for more than just a piece of ass."

The next thing he knew, Inuyasha had a hold of his collar through the bar and brought his face hard against the bars. He growled very deeply, bringing his claws up to touching his throat as every man in the other cells got as close to the scene as they could to watch. "Now you hear me, you little SHIT. That woman is my mate and I will _not_ hear anything about getting ass from her without breaking your neck. That's none of your fucking business, and I won't remind you again." He inhaled to calm down. He didn't want the death sentence to follow through sooner than he needed. "Besides, I'm sure it's degrading for you to talk about ass because you've probably never gotten any." Then he threw the man to the ground and turned his back to lean against the wall again, panting heavily as he tried to relax. "And if you say a another word to me, bars or no bars, I'll kill you."

The man nodded and kept his mouth shut, backing up to go to the nearest wall out of arms reach. He heard the faint chuckle of men in the other cells, but chose to ignore them as he pondered ways to escape. He'd probably need it sooner than he thought; he had already beaten up two men and if he ended up killing someone, he would be in big trouble.

He leaned his head back and sighed deeply. _Kagome, I need you._

**SHHH! I'll get to you soon enough! I'm busy, I'll be right there.**

His ears perked up at that. He had forgotten about the telepathy. Of all the things in the world to forget about, he forgot about their only gift to communicate…that was an incredibly stupid move. _Kagome, what are they asking you?_

**Just a bunch of stuff I'm not answering. Look, I'm going to bring you a surprise when I come and see you, so hold on, please?**

Inuyasha smiled warmly at nothing in particular. _Just as long as you don't keep me waiting forever._

**Great, thanks. Now I'll be there soon.**

He slowly slid down the wall to sit and glanced straight down. He suddenly felt strange…almost queasy, like after having too much to eat only a little more painful. His head was slightly lighter than normal, and for a few seconds he could have sworn he was seeing dots. After a moment of wonder, he shook his head and brought his hands up to cradle it between them.

Inuyasha would ask what was happening, but he knew all too well. Because he and his demon had been locked up in a cage for so long, the tension was rapidly building. People were around him that reeked of assortments of smells, he almost killed twice, and he was fed up with the food he was being served. It wasn't something that Inuyasha could eat, not because he didn't want to but because it was something made specifically for humans. Meat and other things he could eat, but whatever that slop was that they attempted to give to him was intolerable. He wouldn't even let Kagome eat that shit…

And without Kagome here, it wasn't making things any better. He could hear the demon voice demanding him to find her and kill anyone that gets in his way. Technically, if his mate had been taken from him like this, then by the demon laws he was _right_ to kill anyone who would interfere. Kagome was _his_ to talk to, _his_ to handle in any way, and she was only _his _to make uncomfortable with arguments and unwanted flattery. No one should be allowed to even think about touching what was his.

That made his blood boil. He needed her in here with him, to hold and hug close. Only that could calm his raging blood and decrease his rising temperature. He didn't want it to end up setting loose the demon that he worked so hard to keep in check.

He almost chuckled at his own little joke. _Whoever comes in here next had better have a death wish._ His eyes fluttered shut and he almost made a hissing sound as the cold drops of sweat fell down his forehead.

"Hey man, you ok?" Asked the other guy in the next cell. Inuyasha growled and continued to look down without answering. He didn't know if he could form words, anyway.

Apparently the man had motioned to someone because his ears picked up the pounding of a cop's stick on the bars. "Inuyasha." The voice demanded. There was something about that voice, too…

He glanced up and saw Shippo, dressed in the guard's uniform. Even through his blurry eyes, Inuyasha knew that he looked incredibly like another officer he had noticed earlier, but no doubt by the scent and the sound of his voice that only belonged to him. "Inuyasha, what's the matter with you?" He asked like a guard. Inuyasha couldn't help but be proud of him for acting so well.

And for somehow sneaking in here without him noticing a thing…which meant that his gang was recruiting to get their boss's back. He would have been happier if he didn't feel this way.

"I need Kagome." He stated harshly. "If she doesn't come in here, I'll pass out and die before the law gets a chance to serve me justice. Go tell that to the stupid detective." He slouched even more down until it appeared he was almost lying on the floor. He brought one knee up in the air as he closed his eyes carefully. The pain in his stomach and head was increasing, throbbing at the same time as if the same force caused it.

Shippo had a radio that he happened to borrow from the guard on the ground. He radioed in quickly, telling them that Inuyasha is ill and that Kagome needs to be here. With hesitation, the guard that had replied told him briefly that he would tell the detective, but he wouldn't guarantee anything because Kagome was harder to handle than she looked.

Inuyasha growled when knowledge of what was happening suddenly popped into his mind. If Kagome didn't stay with him for a while so that he could hold her and calm himself, he _would_ end up in a horrible situation. He didn't really know if he would die or not, but hell it sure felt like it. The pain that consumed him was almost unbearable as it continued to grow in both size and intensity.

In a matter of minutes the detective, followed by Kagome and two guards holding her arms tightly to her sides had entered the room with urgency. Kagome was shocked by the way he felt; the way those pain waves came from his aura in huge blasts. She almost cried because it hurt her to see him that way.

"Let me in." She demanded. "I have to go to him."

The man sighed. "What if it's contagious, Higurashi? We don't want to be held responsible for you getting ill."

"I don't care about anything like that. Besides…" She stared at him in the cage and reached for the bars. "It's not contagious."

"You know this for sure, do you? If he dies at all, we want him to die by the hands of the law so that he can be paid back for everything he's done."

Kagome flinched and clenched the bar tighter. "LET me IN."

He sighed and slowly complied, allowing her to approach him and shutting the door behind her without guards having to follow her in.

She sat down beside him and pushed the bangs out of his eyes. "Inuyasha?" She asked quietly. She had to hold back from crying because of how horrible he looked. There was something very wrong with him.

He opened his eyes, noting how he instantly felt a little better when her skin touched his. "Kagome…" He forced himself to sit up, and with Kagome's help he managed. Of course, he appeared to be in constant pain, so no matter what Kagome did she felt like she was hurting him.

And naturally, that was making her feel worse.

Inuyasha pulled her into his lap and hugged her tightly. She had been startled, but she quickly wrapped her arms around him to soothingly rub his scalp. "What happened, Inuyasha?" She asked quietly.

He was feeling slowly better, and so he knew it was working. "Kagome, just let me hold you for a while, ok?"

"Sure." _I don't know if the guards will let us, though._

**They'll do it, trust me. It's a good thing they let you in, just in time too.**

They were hesitant about it because they think whatever's wrong with you is contagious.

****

They won't let me die by some illness; they want the pleasure to kill me.

Those bastards won't get the chance.

**I know. Shippo's here, and I take it Kira is, too?**

Yes. They have a plan to get us out, but you can't be like this. If you're not well, then things won't work the way they've been planed.

"Miss Higurashi, what's the matter with him?"

She glared back at the guard. "He needs me. I'm not leaving this time."

He snorted. "That almost seems like an excuse to stay in here and get out of your interrogation."

"He's sick, you bastard, and no doctors can help him. Only I can help him. I have to stay in here with him."

Kira gripped the man's arm before he could object and directed his attention to her. "Sir, let her stay. I'll stay in here and keep an eye on them, along with the guards at the door."

"We can't trust either of them, Officer. He could be faking it."

"Sir, how can anyone, including a demon, fake an illness that makes him both pale and clammy?"

"He could be thinking of something that scares him."

"Inuyasha is not afraid of anything, sir. Besides, she wishes to spend time with him, and sooner or later he'll be sent to death anyway. Let her be with him for a while."

The man sighed even deeper, thinking that perhaps this would be a good opportunity to get some much-needed sleep. "Very well, Officer Rave, you stay here with them. I want to know if something happens." He turned and the two other guards followed him out the door, both with many questions in their eyes about why he was being so generous.

And they stupidly left Shippo and Kira, grinning like crazy outside the cell.

Kagome could feel Inuyasha chuckling as soon as they left the room. She turned to glance at him and faces his glazed eyes that were sparkling with laughter. She put a hand on his forehead. "You still have a fever. What the hell are you laughing about?"

He ran his hands through her hair and kissed her quickly. "They just made a huge mistake, let me tell you. I'm already feeling much better because you're with me. My demon is subsiding."

"So what does that mean?"  
"As soon as I feel perfect again, we're busting out of here and showing no fucking mercy. And then I plan on finding out where the hell Sango and Miroku were when we were arrested…"

*~*~*^_^*~*~*

****

A/N-Thanks again, I hoped you like it! Please review, and feel free to ask me questions, cause I'll answer them when I get the chance!


	20. OPERATION BREAKOUT

****

A/N-Thanks for the reviews, and sorry that I was a little slow updating. I tried, but without a computer it's kinda hard. -_-'

I also had a flame from a person who is just now reading the story. I don't mind flames, but I would like to explain something to those of you who don't know.

This is not supposed to be based on true New York gangs; this is a story that I made up myself. I mean, come on, there's no Miko's and half demons in the real world (although I'm sure that many of us wish there were). I took no offense to the subject, but I just wanted to point that out. I didn't _want_ a story based in real life situations. I might do that later on.

Anyway, on with the story!

Disclaimer- 

"…"

"WELL?"

"…Uh…"

"Say it!"

"FINE! I…don't own Inuyasha, but I love pretending!"

Chapter 20-OPERATION-BREAKOUT

"What are you doing now?"

"Shh…don't make it obvious, you dumbass." Kagome was straddling his lap as he rested his back against the wall. Against his better judgment, he leaned back with his head leaning on his hands and let her do whatever the hell she wanted to. After all, she seemed more determined to leave than he was. 

She had already had a plan devised in that brilliant head of hers, so who was he to complain? He just wanted out, he didn't know how they were going to go about it yet…

Heh, him unprepared…normally, Sango and Miroku would be taking his temperature. He was always the one with the big plans.

The police had left them hours ago, and now that she was completely certain he was well, they'd put "Operation let's get the hell out of here" to work. 

Kira and Shippo were in a corner talking quietly as they waited for their bosses. By now every other cell was alerted to the fact that something was up. The man in the cell next to them that hadn't been stupid enough to make comments about Kagome was chuckling quietly to himself. He was not a stupid person; he knew what was going on and would enjoy every moment of it.

Kagome went ahead and took charge, digging through his pockets for the tiny throwing knives he always carried with him. If she was correct, she could pick the lock with one of them. Then they could start the bloody massacre and leave their marks behind.

"Ah, there they are!" She pulled the thinnest one out of his pocket and stood, grabbing his clawed hand on the way up and pulling him to his feet. "I'm going to get started, you make sure you're ready."

"Kagome, dear, you've never broken out of a prison before in your life. How do you know what you're doing or what my intentions are?" He crossed his arms and watched her reaction. She'd probably get angry and yell at him, but he didn't care. It was nice to have her with him again to taunt and tease her.

"I watch movies, genius, I know how it's done. Besides, you don't want to bend the bars with your hands…we don't want to make it obvious right away. You should know that." She proceeded over to the iron door, ignoring any obscenities that he may have thrown at her, and started to pick the lock carefully with the knife. She threw all her concentration into getting the door open, getting on her knees and sticking her tongue out slightly as she worked.

Inuyasha kept his arms crossed and watched his mate with amusement. _She's so beautiful when she's focused…_however _he_ was waiting for that moment when she would get frustrated and start cursing absurdly at nothing in particular. That's when he would step in and show her how it's done.

She growled and stood, throwing the knife behind her, deliberately missing him. "This is taking _way_ too long! I don't have all year!" She pointed at the lock and closed her eyes, doing something that she definitely shouldn't have in a public place.

Inuyasha realized that and widened his eyes. "HEY! WAIT A…"

Before he could finish that sentence, Kagome shot a string of pinkish energy out at the lock and melted the insides of it. The door swung open, no longer having anything to hold it in, and she smiled back at him. "Opps, I forgot my rules…"

Inuyasha smacked his hand to his forehead in defeat. "No one forgets things like _you_, bitch." He muttered.

"Don't call me a bitch, I just broke you out of here. Who cares if these people saw me? It's not like they can do anything about it, anyway."

The intelligent man in the cell to their left chuckled. "Don't worry about a thing, little lady. I'll make it seem that anyone else that saw anything is insane."

Kagome threw him an appreciative smirk. "Thanks. At least one of you people is intelligent enough to keep their mouths closed." She grabbed Inuyasha's hand and hauled him out meet up with the laughing Kitsunes, who despite everything they tried they couldn't stop the laughter from coming. Kagome's outrage was apparently humorous, but the pair ignored it to think of the next actions to take.

Shippo smirked. "Good job, you saved me the trouble of hunting down a cop with keys."

Inuyasha snorted in disbelief. "Yea, but she could have let me do it with my claws. I know how to pick locks, _sweetie_, you should have let me do it."

"Yea? Well I want out of here and I want out _now._ I wasn't about to wait for you to show off and 'show me how it was done'. You're head's big enough, anyway, no need in making it grow."

"Keh…"

Kira shook her head, scenting the air delicately. "We don't have time for the two of you to battle for dominance. We have to get out of here."

Shippo cut in. "The question is, do we go out the clean way or the bloody way?"

"The bloody way." Both Inuyasha and Kagome stated. She glanced at him as he continued for them both. "I have my eye on that detective and a few of his cop friends. I'd like to make an example of what happens when they cross me and interrogate something of mine for days on end."

Kagome playfully ruffled his hair. "Awe, my puppy's looking out for me!"

"Yea, and my bitch is about to get body slammed into the floor."

Shippo grabbed Inuyasha's arm. "Time to show what you're made of, pal. Someone's coming."

Inuyasha looked back behind him at the door and smirked. He was REALLY looking forward to this part…

Two guards entered quietly into the room and walked ever slowly towards the cells. Their orders had been to check up on Inuyasha and Kagome since they had been left alone for quite some time. Their boss, the detective, was way to busy to get off his ass and see for himself. That man was currently napping in his office chair because at his old age, they were not permitted to stay up for two nights in a row. The thought that the stupid man couldn't do things himself made these two guards sick, but they didn't want to loose their jobs so they never objected.

They reached the cell and peered in, only to see Kagome sitting politely on the cot with a smile on her face. The men instantly grew nervous and looked around for Inuyasha inside the cell. "Where's Inuyasha?"

Kagome continued to smirk. "Oh don't worry, boys, he's here."

"Where?"

The next thing they both knew, a heavy metal bar came in contact with their skulls and they went crashing to the ground. Inuyasha stood above them with a wide smirk on his face, flipping the bar around in his hand. "Good job, woman, you didn't give me away."

Kagome rolled her eyes and stood, pushing the door open and joining him above the officers. "I'm a good actress when the time calls for it."

Shippo and Kira came out from an empty cell a good distance away. They had stripped themselves of the uniforms and were back in their normal attires. Shippo had his favorite toy hooked to his arm, moving it back and forth to make sure that the knife was still in working order. He grinned when Inuyasha gave him an encouraging look. "I just couldn't let you have all the fun toys, Inuyasha."

The demon's all looked in the direction of the door. Kira mused silently to herself at how stupid normal humans were. "A silent alarm has been sounded. We may really have to get bloody in a minute."

Kagome sighed. "I wish I could hear it."

"You're the only one here that's not a demon, _dear_." Inuyasha stated, grabbing the only remaining gun he had out of his pocket. 

Kagome followed suit and glared at him carefully. "You'll be in for it if you don't stop calling me those nicknames."

"Well then, I guess I should watch my back, shouldn't I?" He looked around quickly for another hiding place so that the next group of idiots would be fooled, but it seemed that they would be caught if they tried to hide. Besides, _somebody _had to sound that alarm, which meant that someone somewhere was watching.

Which meant also that any secret information had to be kept under wraps from now on or it would be overheard.

Inuyasha came to the easiest conclusion; get them before they get you. By the looks of it, he'd have to burst into the room and start taking down people as fast as humanly possible, having only the elements of surprise and a couple of guns as an advantage. In order to pull it off, he'd have to have help from all of the members, meaning that for once in his life, Kagome would have to live up to her reputation and become a true gangster. She would have to get her hands dirty in the safest way possible.

"Kagome, listen carefully…there are cameras all over this place. No matter what, you _cannot_ use your Miko powers, ok? If they find that, they'll have your head on a most wanted sheet."

She snorted. "But Inuyasha, after we do this, we'll _all_ be on the most wanted sheet."

"I'm the gang leader, they'll be after me more than you. Just listen to me, because this is going to be the most risky situation I've ever put you in."

"I'm not worried."  
"Inuyasha," Shippo started. "That's a large group of men, I can feel it. They're approaching, and chances are they all have stun guns."

"Do NOT let those things touch you. Shoot first, and when we run out of bullets then risk your ass in trying to slice them in two. We have to take down that detective for sure before we get out of here. I'm not going to let him get away with half the stuff he pulled."

Kagome groaned loudly. She only brought one gun with her, so she wouldn't have that many bullets before she had to get her hands dirty with the knives. After what she saw happened to Inuyasha with the stun guns, she grew very worried. If they were painful for him, they'd be hell for her, and to be honest she didn't 

want to test that theory.

Not to mention she feared his demon would set loose if something happened to her. She'd heard of it happening in the books she always read. A demon pair would be fighting with another demon, and once the female got hurt once, the male would go into a pit of rage and kill out of blind fury. Her biggest worry with that is how would she get him back if he did that? He seemed pretty ruthless, as it was…she never had to pull him back from the brink of demonhood.

Kagome sighed, ridding her head of any thoughts. "Another note; I've worked with the police force, and if they're scared of us enough they'll have bullet vests on. Shoot their heads or limbs, that'd be your best bet."

Inuyasha raised his eyebrows at her in amazement. "Giving real orders now?"

"I'm the second in command, you made that my right when you initialized it." She smirked at him and pushed him forward. "Come on, if we have to go in killing, let's go quick."

"You're still that persistent bitch, aren't you?" Shippo and Kira ran ahead of him and stood carefully in front of the door that would lead them out. Kira added a new clip to one of her handguns and Shippo cocked the gun on the half gun/half sword combo. They would be the first so that they'd take the first shot, just like rightful gangsters to take bullets for their boss.

"Ready?" Shippo asked. He braced himself for an army on the other side.

"Ready." Inuyasha cocked his gun and Shippo pushed open the door.

*~*~*^_^*~*~*

"Kuso…"

"Ugh, what now?" 

"Look at all these wires! Which one do I cut?" Miroku was looking in the power box just outside the cop's station. The plan was to cut all power so that alarms and communication would be cut off in the building. According to Kira and Shippo, it would give them better chances to kill and escape and it would definitely give the demons the advantage in sight.

It would also give Sango the chance to try her new home made gas; a gas that's bound to confuse the police as to whom they were truly supposed to be fighting. She had tested it out on members of the club, and had to control her laughter in order to take down the results. That was not an easy task.

"Miroku, I thought you knew what you were doing when it came to shit like this." She looked around carefully, making sure that the coast was clear so they could continue. She was tempted to just start clipping all wires, but there were some things that couldn't be cut for obvious reasons.

"Well what I went through only had a few colors; there's got to be like twenty different colors in this thing."

"Shippo and Kira are depending on us, cut the wire you would cut on the other systems so we can get in there and help out."

Miroku sighed and dug through it until he found a little blue wire. Twisting it in his fingers, he smiled. "Well, here goes nothing…really." He squeezed the clippers and cut the wire, then sat back and waited for signs that it had worked.

*~*~*^_^*~*~*

The demons each had a cop within arm's length as they fought, basically taking off heads in seconds flat. Their bullets had long run out, and now they resorted to using their swords and knives while having to avoid the stun guns that each and every cop held close to them. The detective was still giving orders at the back of the group, and everyone was slowly working their way there. After all, everyone knows that in order to take down something, you have to take down the leader first.

Hence why everyone was on Inuyasha's case. He had to work a lot harder to keep his ass safe, and he wasn't focused on Kagome's problems like he usually was. Once one cop was thrown off to the side, another was there to take up what was left off. It was a wonder that he didn't have any injuries yet. If a cop managed to catch him with the stun gun, his senses would be so disoriented he couldn't focus enough to save himself. They'd get him for sure.

Since Kagome was the closest thing to a human in their little group, she had been doing fairly well against the little army of cops fighting them. She hadn't taken down near as many as Inuyasha had, though, but that was mainly because most men were aiming to take him down.

She often found herself stopping what she was doing to watch him fight the cops off. She also found it ironic that the police chose to fight in their own office areas, because a couple of them were personally introduced to their monitors as Inuyasha hurled them a good distance away from him. He had to have taken down at least twenty men so far, while she was working on number 7. Kira and Shippo were somewhere along the lines of ten or twelve, but they fought side by side and discouraged a lot of the cops from coming at them.

Kagome managed to knock away the cop she was currently fighting. He had been one that told her she was insane, flat out in her face, and she was enjoying this beating a lot.

He held his bloody head from his position on the ground and glared at her with one eye. "You really ARE insane!"

Kagome kicked his face and he fell into a massive heap of the other men she beat to a pulp. _That felt GREAT!_ She mused to herself. She was beginning to tire, and if her bloody hands weren't cramped tomorrow it'd be a miracle.

"Say Jackass, have you met your computer? Well HERE YOU GO!" Inuyasha lifted another man over his head and threw him into the nearest still sitting computer. The man was wailing before he hit the computer, then in a spray of sparks and shattered glass he was quiet.

Inuyasha exhaled deeply and stood, wiping his hands and glaring at the detective. "Come on, detective, I can do this all day. Not a gun has touched me or mine."

"You won't win, Inuyasha! We'll bring you down!"  
"Keh."

Suddenly, the power was out, and even for Inuyasha he had to adjust his sight for a minute. "Shit…" The cops were confused as ever, and they wallowed around in the dark, trying to find their way around. He instantly suspected that this was Shippo's work; after all, seeing in the dark was actually a Kitsune's specialty. He was worried that Kagome would be injured and he couldn't see to stop it.

He felt a hand on his shoulder, but he managed to refrain from popping the person that owned it a good one because this hand gave him calm waves. "Inuyasha, that's you, right?" She whispered.

"Great deduction, I'm the only one with white hair and ears."

"I can actually see in the dark. I think these blue eyes have something to do with it."

"Hmm…well be thankful, everyone in our group can see compared to those _mere_ humans." He glanced around and could see Kira and Shippo approaching. Kira gripped Inuyasha's arm as if making sure he was really there before speaking. "I hear noise in the back, that means either our backup is here or they've called in reinforcements already."

"Shit, how many more reinforcements do they need? I figured we already took out all the cops in New York."

Shippo shook his head and the rest of the group could see it perfectly. "There's got to be about twenty more men here. That detective is one to keep your eye on, though, he's not in charge just because he's good at giving orders."

A door burst open behind the cops and two figures ran in. Details couldn't be made out, but it was obvious by their forms that they were wearing leather coats. "Inuyasha! Code RED!" Sango screamed, grabbing her product out of her coat.

Inuyasha sighed. "We've got five seconds." He grabbed Kagome's hand and pulled her close, forcing a cloth out of his pocket over her nose. "Keep it there." He commanded before putting a black one up to his. She followed suit, holding the cloth tightly against it. "What's Sango doing?"

"Using gas."

"Ah…"

A spark was seen in the dark, being tossed across the room before white gas poured from the object she had thrown. There was a moment of panic between all the officers, and some coughing in surprise. Luckily Inuyasha could remember all his codes, and the rest of his gang with the exception of Kagome did too, or they'd be in the same state, or probably worse with their demon senses.

It was clearly evident that with a couple of blunt objects Sango and Miroku were making their way through the confused officers. Inuyasha shouted through the cloth. "Leave that detective for me, do you hear! I'm taking that bastard's head!"  
"Sure, fine, whatever!" Sango screamed, taking what she guessed was a bat out of the evidence room and beating many officers with it to get them out of the way. Miroku was assisting her, everyone still with cloths over their noses, and while Kira stood with Inuyasha and Kagome, Shippo decided to test out his new toy with the blade instead of the gun. He was basically cackling like a maniac, and he looked like he should be saying "off with your head, and off with your head too!" Kagome had to stifle a laugh at the thought. Of course that wasn't hard when Inuyasha was squeezing all the air out of her lungs in his death grip.

She nudged him and his arm loosened. He managed a very sarcastic "sorry" as he watched as his gangsters took out the cops like it was a high definition scary movie that he was really interested in. She was fully aware of the fact that even with the cloth, he could still smell the gas, and as it slowly settled, his senses were slowly returning.

Kagome suddenly got a strange feeling…one that didn't seem promising. One that told her that getting away would not be as easy as she thought. "Inuyasha, I have a feeling…"

"Yea, me too. Somethin's up." He looked around, using his senses of smell and hearing to see if he could find anything out of the ordinary. 

Suddenly all the demons looked up and began to scent the air heavily, all noticing something that would shock them. Or in Inuyasha's case, piss them off to no end.

Kagome shook Inuyasha's arm as his grip on her hand tightened. "Inuyasha, what do you smell?"

He looked ahead of himself and breathed carefully. Kagome didn't need light to see the spark of anger in his eyes. "Kouga…" _What the HELL is he doing here!_

"In the flesh." The bastard stated, getting on top of a desk nearby to shout above all the screams of police below. "I have orders today, and one of us, Inuyasha, will die. Along with your wench."

Inuyasha snorted and pulled his coat off, throwing it to the floor. "You think you will win against me? I have kicked your sorry ass so many times it wasn't even funny, and I made the mistake of letting you go. I won't mess up this time." He began to crack his knuckles in an old intimidating habit that he hadn't used in a while. No way in hell would this bastard get away this time. 

And no way in HELL would he even touch Kagome. Whether she could kick his ass or not, he would not go near her. Her being human had nothing to do with it; it was all about territory. He was going to kill Kouga for even thinking of trespassing.

The police were thoroughly confused, now with the gas and the screaming of the territorial demons in their office. The detective walked around wearily in the dark, not knowing whether he should be hitting something or not. Sango's gas concoction really worked this time; nobody who had inhaled it even knew where the hell they were, let alone what they were supposed to be doing. That part of the plan worked out perfectly.

Kouga charged with blinding speed, and the only thing that saved Inuyasha from his blow was the fact that his demon sight could make out his figure in the dark. Inuyasha jumped back, far away from other people and waited for the bastard to charge again. 

This time, he drew his sword out from the hilt on his back. This would be the first time he had ever had to use this sword, but Kouga being the first one to get killed with it would make it all the better.

Kagome backed herself up against a wall, getting as close to it as humanly possible while she stared at Kouga. She could almost see it…she could almost _see_ the glow of something inside his coat. The color of the object's aura was a blue, and whatever it was, Kagome _wanted _it. She knew that somehow, that thing, whatever it was, was useful to the club. When Inuyasha brought that bastard down, she'd pick it off him herself and find out why it had called to her so much. _Why_ it was so important…

Kouga sped towards Inuyasha again and slashed at him in mid-jump position, only to come up hitting dry air. He landed on the wall behind his opponent and pushed back off, flying directly over Inuyasha and having the sword catch him over his left shoulder before he could react. With a roll to the ground about ten feet away, he jumped back on his feet and surveyed the damage done as the blood of the cut oozed from between his fingers and down onto the floor.

A light cut, no real damage done that couldn't be healed on his own. However, Inuyasha had struck first blood, and within the first five seconds in the battle, that wasn't a good thing. "Hmm…you're good, Inuyasha. Real good."

"I've always been better than you. Why do you think _I_ was the one in charge and not you?"

Kouga recalled his orders carefully after hearing that infuriating comment. _"…and after that, you are hereby ordered to fight Inuyasha to the death. However, no matter what you do, don't let that bitch escape alive. Whether Inuyasha lives or dies is not the main matter; I want Kagome Higurashi DEAD, or it'll be your head, even if you escape the battle alive."_

He sighed deeply and glanced over to her sprawled form against the wall. He couldn't defeat Inuyasha first because Higurashi would probably run or kill him with Miko energy. He had to take her out and soon._ The question is how to go about it? When do I strike and how do I do it?_

"Hey Kouga, you gonna look stupid all day or are you going to fight?" Inuyasha's impatience was clearly evident as he began to twist the blade in the dark, enough so that the shine was enough for even the weakest of humans to see.

"Impatient as ever, I see." Kouga's gaze rested on Kagome, who was blissfully unaware of it at the moment because she was too busy looking for Sango and Miroku. Inuyasha noticed, and naturally, the first thing that came to mind was to protect her and KILL the offender who would dare to leer at his mate.

"Kira, Shippo, go by Kagome NOW!" The Kitsunes did as they were told and ran to stand by Kagome (who was suddenly paying attention again), blowing Kouga's mind free of the thought of taking her first and Inuyasha next. The demon, however, was happy that she was now no longer an option while Inuyasha lived; it gave him the chance to focus all his attention on Inuyasha and nothing else. 

Kagome remained deathly calm, keeping her gaze fixed on Kouga. It was amazing how overpowering her powers were at times. All she knew was that he had something on him that no matter what Kagome would get at all costs. Such a power…she couldn't figure it out, but everything else became irrelevant compared to that bright light.

Well, that and Inuyasha's safety of course. He had just insured hers for the moment, but he was on his own with a demon that was both thick headed and full of it. 

Somehow, she knew Inuyasha would kick his butt.

Kouga shook his head, a devilish smirk bursting in his face. Reaching into his own little leather jacket, he pulled out a knife that appeared to be just as long as his forearm, but still nothing in comparison to Inuyasha's sword.

It was Inuyasha who charged this time, springing forward like a frog's leap in an attempt to escape from a large animal. He kept his sword folded down on his arm as he hit the ground in front of Kouga, nearly knocking the feet out from underneath him with a stylish sweep of his arm. Kouga was still fast, and he managed to jump up just centimeters away from Inuyasha's claws before turning his hips into a full blast kick to his face. 

Inuyasha went back a couple of feet and jumped back up to fighting position, faintly tasting the blood in his mouth. He being the fast learner that he was, he had just taught himself a lesson; always let your enemy charge you first, never vise versa. It would probably be an embarrassing ending to his life as a gangster.

Kouga nodded once with a prideful smirk on his face. That was the look that Kagome had learned to hate and felt the urge to slap that smirk right off his face come back in full force.

Kira and Shippo had begun fighting off cops again as they slowly regained their composure to return to the fight. Sango's gas wore off sooner than she had thought it would and now she was fighting her own battle with fully aware officers, Miroku much in the same position. She had lost her bat somewhere along the way, and was now using her fists, managing to do a fairly good job holding them off. Miroku hadn't let go of his blunt object (And he was _still_ trying to figure out what it was), and he made himself a nice little pile of people who got in his way.

Sango had just managed a punch to the face of another officer when the very bat she dropped came into contact with the junction of her shoulder and neck, forcing a shooting pain throughout her body and a cry to come to her mouth. Her knees gave and she fell, crumpling to the ground until the enormous pain subsided. She couldn't move yet; the numbness was just too much. She could have very easily gotten killed right then and there, but lucky for her, the monk had other plans.

Miroku had to stand over her and defend her while she winced in the irritating defeat. Whoever hit her had a death wish, much like every other cop in this place, because he hit her in precisely the right spot to almost make it seem like she was paralyzed. However, when she suddenly started feeling the throbbing pain again, she knew that wasn't the case, and she was relieved. She began scouting her eyes out for the one who hit her, but only managed to find the bat on the ground by Miroku's feet.

She looked around, suddenly very aware of their situation. The detective they should have kept an eye on was missing, and wherever he was, it couldn't be good.

Inuyasha had Kouga's forearms in his hands, his with the knife being held in the one with the sword. He clenched his teeth, squeezing the hands harder and harder, gradually digging his claws into the skin. Kouga dropped his knife but bent backwards and shot his leg straight up, hitting Inuyasha square in the jaw with the heel of his foot. With a curse, Inuyasha jumped back again, this time having to wipe his mouth once just to get the words out because of the steady flow of blood inside his mouth. _Damn it, another one of his stupid kicks to the jaw._ "Can't you do any better than that, Kouga?"

Kouga rubbed his wrists, clenching one eye shut and cocking the eyebrow of the open one. "Keh." He picked up his knife, examining it before charging once again.

Inuyasha had never been in such a fistfight before in his life. Fists were flying in both directions, feet and knees were doing damage to the insides, and claws and physical power were lethal weapons that would kill a human in no time flat. Both the sword and the knife had been lost somewhere as natural instincts took over. If Kouga had been like this all his life, he had been holding out on Inuyasha when he received his weekly beating. His jaw _still_ bled, and blood dripped from his mouth to the floor in neat little lines because he was too busy to swallow the pooling blood down.

Inuyasha punched him twice in the jaw, and he retaliated with a very sharp knee to the gut. They were moving too quickly for the human eye, but it was clear that Inuyasha had been weakened slightly from his previous slaughter of policemen. Kouga was not normally this fast, and Inuyasha usually overpowered him by now. 

It seemed that Kouga had gotten good at keeping his pace.

With a slash of claws, Inuyasha ripped gashes in Kouga's neck deep enough that if he were human he'd have dropped to the floor. Kouga paused before immediately getting back into it, and that's where Inuyasha saw his mistake. He _paused._ When fighting, you NEVER look away from your opponent, not for anything. He had missed the first chance at showing the error of his ways, but that didn't mean that Kouga wouldn't mess up again.

He needed just a millisecond of hesitation from the monster and he could win. Something, just a little distraction was all that he wanted, but keeping his pace at a matching rate and thinking at the same time was not a good idea. The choice had been made and he'd wait until that chance or find something else that would work just as well.

"OOOWWW! Don't you TOUCH me you SON OF A BITCH!" Kagome screamed in outrage.

Kouga glanced in her direction and that was all that it took. Inuyasha ripped another sword out of a sheathe and stabbed Kouga straight through the chest, watching the surprised expressions pass over his face. He stared down at the wolf man as he fell to his knees, a highly superior look on his face the entire time before he finally stated "It's about damn time I put you where you belong, Kouga. I've put you in your place."

Kouga looked down, his eyes fluttering before a sharp glare was shot right at Inuyasha. He snorted in his response before loosing all consciousness and falling backwards onto the floor, never to open his stupid mouth again.

Inuyasha started to growl deeply, realizing that his 'distraction' had involved someone touching Kagome. He looked over to the general area and found her being pulled back by Sango with one arm, the arm pressing against the junction of her other shoulder. She was bleeding, but not that badly. Some of the wounds he had were worse than hers looked.

"Inuyasha." Miroku called his attention to the wall, where the rest of his gang had weapons all out and pointed at the cornered detective. Both demons were snarling, having snuck up on Kagome and cutting her with the intentions of slitting her throat. He only succeeded in cutting her shoulder, however, probably still hazy from the gas.

Miroku cleared his throat. "Inuyasha, can we kill him?"  
Inuyasha raised his eyebrows and bent over slightly, a smirk on his face. "Sayonara, Detective." Shippo then took care of the detective with his new toy, and Miroku began making sure that the coast was clear in and around the station. 

Inuyasha knelt on the ground, trying to regain his breath and clean himself up a little. He wiped his mouth off and rotated his jaw around to make sure that it was still in working order. His insides felt like jelly because of the multiple times that Kouga had hit his gut, but in a short amount of time that would pass. As long as he didn't have to worry about much else, they could say that it was over and Fluffy dearest was in for a 'brotherly' visit.

He stood, panting heavily in the aftermath of the fight. The fight was won, and now they could go home and heal their wounds before making the next move. He had never been more relieved in his life over getting to go back to his club. Hell, he was even relieved that he had made a good hit on the bastard in the first place. Although he had to admit that fighting him this time was rather interesting; his only flaw was that he didn't have enough room in that thick head of his to realize to never take your attention away from your opponent, no matter what.

Inuyasha wiped the remains of blood off his cheek and approached Kagome, pulling his coat back on in the process. He could smell the small scent of blood on her, as well, and he guessed by its potency that it wasn't very deep. It wasn't anything serious, but it was blood nonetheless.

He grabbed both her hands in his, raising them to look over her bruised knuckles. "What're your injuries?" He asked quietly, still looking over her knuckles.

"What do you mean by that? Look at you, if you were a human I'd suggest you see a doctor." Her tone was meaningless, however. She was tired, happy, but tired. She didn't want to think about her injuries or anything else right now, she just wanted to go back to the club and rest. 

"That's not what I asked." He said, brushing his thumbs over her knuckles and watching her flinch. "See, you're hurt worse than I thought."

"It's a bruise, and thanks to you, it'll be gone in no time." She scratched her head in irritated thought. "I have a cut on my shoulder, and a couple of bruises on my legs from kicking those cops, but other than that I'm fine."

He nodded once in acknowledgement, smirking slyly at her. "Do I have to take a good look at the bruises on your legs?"

She snorted. "Hentai."

"Hai, but that's my right." Inuyasha sighed deeply and shook his head. "It doesn't matter anyway, once we're both healed we'll be busy taking care of our final enemy." He turned to lead her towards the others, but she stopped him and approached Kouga first. Inuyasha, thoroughly confused, watched in fascination as she bent down closer to him.

_Finally, now what the hell is that light?_ Getting uncomfortably close to the body, she inhaled deeply as she reached into his coat. She felt like she was in the middle of a scary movie, and at any moment he was due to sit up and kill her before she could even scream. _Heh, now THAT'S obsession. This bastard's finally dead and I'm still dreaming about him killing me._

Her hand wrapped around something solid, and pulling it back out she revealed that she was holding a bottle of potion. It was still glowing brightly blue, now more intense than ever, and she shielded her eyes from it as it slowly began to die down to a dull glow. She stood and investigated it in her hands, then turned to look at Inuyasha. 

However, the look on his face was priceless, and she unsuccessfully stifled a laugh.

His jaw had to be hitting the ground, and his eyes were bigger than saucers. He pointed at her and returned his gaze to a less intense shocked gaze. "Bring that to me, please."

She complied, toying with the idea of throwing it at him just to see his reaction. After handing it to him and watching him examine it in every way, she smiled with the knowledge that she had done something good for once. They would have missed that little thing if he had just hauled her out like he had wanted to.

Inuyasha was flabbergasted. This was it; the life potion that he had wanted to steal from his brother for keeping it from him for so long. Something that he had taken years to find, even though necessarily lately he hadn't been looking that hard, had been found on the least likely person.

Just what _was_ Kouga doing with it anyway? Not like it would come of any use to him. Unless of course, he stole it for his own stupid reasons. He did have that knack for pissing off his boss's; maybe it was all part of a sick plot of his. That was something that not even Sesshomaru would tolerate from the bastard.

Now he could smell it; a powerful scent that he should have noticed upon Kouga's entering the room. Somehow he had hidden it very well…right under his fucking nose. That angered Inuyasha slightly, but there was nothing he could do about it now. He already killed the bastard, what else was there to do?

"Thank you for noticing this." He inspected the bottle carefully before shoving it down into his inside coat pocket where it would be safe until later. "Saves me the trouble of looking for it later."  
"What _is_ it?" 

"It's something that my bastard brother can't ever get back, cause now I'm going to use it before he has the chance." He glanced at his cell phone and checked the time, then twitched his ears to find any noise outside the room. "You guys each rode motorcycles, right?"

"Of course, Inuyasha, we haven't lost our wits." Kira stated, taking a strange glance at her Kitsune boyfriend. "Well, _most_ of us anyway."

Shippo snorted and stood proudly, boasting like a child. "You're just jealous cause _I_ get the cool toy and _you_ don't."

"I don't _want_ that poor excuse of a toy."

Inuyasha snorted, gripping Kagome's arm gently because her hands and shoulder were injured. "Come on, you four, we have to get out of here before more cops show up, 'cause there are many more police stations in this town than gas stations." He opened up the nearest window and looked down three stories to their poorly hidden motorcycles in some brush. "Psh, _nice_ _job_ hiding those things, guys."

Sango snorted while Kira rolled her eyes. "You know, I'm glad I'm not driving that hideous thing on the way back. Its engine still makes my sense's screw up."

"Then ride with Shippo, I'm driving Kagome on your bike back."

"That's fine with me."

Shippo suddenly looked like a deer caught in headlights. "Uh oh…we better get outta here, Inuyasha, I hear the cars coming down the streets."

He glanced out the window again and cursed. "We have to go out the window. Kira, get Sango, Shippo, get Miroku, let's go NOW." Kagome climbed onto his back and he jumped out the window, Sango and Miroku slowly doing the same and the Kitsune's following suit. Once everyone had hit the ground, it was every man for himself as the cop cars were only a block or so away.

Kagome jumped on Inuyasha's bike just as it started to speed off. Miroku grabbed a bike, Sango grabbed hers, and Kira hesitantly joined her boyfriend on his while muttering that she would rather enjoy a long run back to the club.

Each of the drivers put on a special device that Kira had installed in each of the bikes. It was like a home computer that showed you who was talking on the screen, and a little microphone attached to a wire that hooked onto the driver's ears. Talking into the microphone would enable everyone to hear perfectly from a speaker on the computer, and all the person has to do is talk to be seen on the screen. A rather confusing device for Inuyasha, he had to admit, but it was handier than the helmets.

Miroku popped up on the screen first. "Inuyasha, we must be loosing our luster, because they're right on our tail. And I'm afraid getting hit with that bat has altered Sango's driving skills."

Sango snorted and flipped him off, showing up next on the screen. "I'm _fine_ Inuyasha, as soon as we loose these bastards I will be fine."

"Look, let's fight later, we have a problem here. We can't afford to be caught tonight, I don't know if the cops know about my club or not, but I don't think going back there tonight is a good idea. We need a plan, people, and think fast."

Before anyone could do anything, however, Sango yelled "Break!" and each motorcycle went in a completely different direction, down totally separate roads, making Kagome's head spin as one of the police cars followed directly behind them in their chosen direction.

She squeezed Inuyasha tightly with her bruised hands, fighting to maintain her composure after having the shit scared out of her. "What in the _hell_ was that?" She asked, a little skeptical. Her blood was really pumping after they had jumped out of the window, and now all of a sudden they couldn't see anyone else from the group because of a _really_ loud and piercing yell! Not to mention the cop that was right on their tail, and if he happened to shoot at them he would hit her before hitting Inuyasha (Not that she would rather him get hit, but she just didn't want to be shot). If she had ever felt like a confused deer in the headlights, it would be now, because her heart had never pumped so fast in her life in utter confusion.

He smirked back at her while swerving in traffic. Placing a hand over his specially made microphone (one that reached all the way up to his special ears), he decided to make a smartass comment that couldn't be heard by the rest of the group. "See, this is what happens when members of my gang actually _listen_ to me. You can teach my gang new tricks, but they sure as hell better remember the old ones, too. That's a trick I started a long time ago."

"So in other words, 'break' means to split up so the cops can't catch you?"

"Yep, any of my members can initialize it, and once they scream it you take the nearest road to you and try to keep away from the other members. It's fun."

Kagome shook her head at him, watching carefully as the cop behind them tried to weave into the heavy traffic to catch them. It proved to be harder than it looked, however, and the cop lost time as he got stuck behind a car. 

An idea suddenly struck her, and since she really wanted to do it, she would suggest it. "Inuyasha, can't we go to Miroku's house? You know, loose the cops and then meet up there?"

Inuyasha seriously thought about it for a few seconds before deciding. "Yea, but what would we do with the motorcycles?"

"Surely there's a garage or something somewhere that they can be stashed away till morning."

Without missing his cue, he got on the radio with Miroku. "Monk, is there any place near your cabin that we could hide these motorcycles? Say yes and tell me or we'll have to find another place."

Miroku was silent on his end for a moment before finally speaking again. "The only place I can think of is that old storage building about four blocks from it. I'm sure that it wouldn't be that hard to get one open, especially with our skills."

Inuyasha nodded. "Right, ok, here's the orders. Everyone is to loose the cop that's on their ass, and I mean loose them completely, drive around for ten minutes or so making sure you're not being followed. Then get to that storage house and place their bike only in the one that has a large red B on it, got it?" Hearing "Yes Sir" one at a time showed that everyone knew what they were doing. Kagome was getting curious again.

She seemed to be doing that a lot lately in the past few hours…

"Red mark? You haven't been there before, I know it because I can sense it."

"I know."

"So how do you know what building will have a red mark on it?"

"They know the drill; whoever gets there first will find a fairly empty storage cubicle thing and use their red spray paint on the door. And before you ask, the paint is located in the bag on the back of every bike, so that it can be used for our convenience."

She nodded and hummed her answer, furrowing her eyebrows. "Why am I _just_ _now_ learning about all this stuff?"

He looked behind himself at her, glanced at the very far behind cop car and then faced ahead again. "You'll need all of it tomorrow, I promise."

*~*~*^_^*~*~*

****

A/N-Thanks again for the reviews, and please keep it up! Once again, sorry to keep you waiting, but I had to go on vacation for Thanksgiving without any computers to work it on. The next chapter is halfway written, so it'll be up soon!


	21. A Life Together

**A/N-Thanks for all the reviews!**

And I apologize for my other story, my friend and I were just messing around. I'm glad that the people that HAVE reviewed think it's funny, though.

Disclaimer-I…I…I…I…I…

**ducks flying tomatoes** OK! I don't own Inuyasha.

CHAPTER 21-A life together

He dodged the next shot, but barely escaped as the weight of the motorcycle had been shifted again. Turns out they were much more heavily watched than he thought; he had about five cops tailing him and Kagome now, and through the vagueness of his thoughts, he could feel Kagome clutching him tighter and tighter with each passing second. A slow pattern of both fear and excitement radiated from her aura, and Inuyasha knew what it was that worried her. She feared of being caught, _again, _only this time, they'd hurt him and she'd be forced back into her old life.

__

No one in their right mind would want a life like that back.

He also feared _he_ would bruise if she didn't let go of him soon. He had already been partially tenderized from the fight, and with every shot of the guns he could feel her tighten her grip. If he had been human, he'd be complaining.

However, he was the one who told her to hold on for all she was worth. Therefore, this whole thing was his own fault, and he'd have no one else to blame but himself.

Inuyasha snorted and shook his head. _What am I doing? We have cops on our asses and I'm talking about a small bruise I'll have tomorrow! Miroku's right; I must have lost some of my luster, after all._

Sango came onto the screen and Inuyasha nodded to show that he saw her. "Inuyasha, Miroku and I have made it to the storage shed. We're currently inside, and I thought I'd let you know that much before we did anything else."

He nodded again. "Heard from Shippo or Kira?"

"Miroku's talking to Kira now on cell phone. They've got a cop still following them, but if they're lucky they can loose it at the next turn. How fairs it with you?"

"We'll, we've got the whole police force on our butts, so this may take a little longer than I thought. Once you park the bikes, sneak to Miroku's place, and DON'T let anyone see you."

"Aye, aye, Captain!" She chirped happily before the radio turned off and all was quiet. Well, except for the motors on the bikes, that is. Even Kagome was finding it hard to hear anything else.

She sighed and glanced up at the sky, taking note of the orange-ish color that radiated from the side. It was a sure clue of dawn, and since Kagome had spent all her time in the jail trying to get back to Inuyasha, she never knew what time it was. While her mate dodged in and out of what was probably the busiest street in the state, she found comfort in gripping him tightly while she watched the sun fade out into the horizon. The sun was beautiful, something that she couldn't resist the call of, even if it meant carelessness in her own life. It made her feel like there wasn't a care in the world, just because she was able to see that beautiful sunrise again.

The police had taken to shooting at them after all, however only when they got within a 'safe' distance. They didn't want Inuyasha to swerve and have the bullet end up hitting an innocent pedestrian. Nope, they wouldn't want that at all; it was hit them on the bike or don't shoot.

"You ok?" Inuyasha asked suddenly, glancing back at her with concern littering his face. He half paid attention to where he was going and half watched Kagome's reaction to the question he had just asked her. He hoped she wasn't scared, because if she were too frightened to do anything like this tomorrow then there'd have to be a change in plans. What he had in store for her would probably shock the hell out of her, but she'd finally have the independence she wanted and could no longer rightfully say that Inuyasha was overprotective.

_Heh_, _overprotective_…when was he _ever_ overprotective? Sure, he looked out for her, refused to let her drink even though legally she could, wouldn't let her leave his sight on certain occasions…that wasn't being overprotective, was it?

Well if it was, he had to wonder what it would have been like if he _hadn't_ done the job he did. She almost died three times, THREE, even under his heavy guard. That was three-way-to-damn-many, if one should ask his opinion.

Kagome hugged him tighter, scooting forward and bringing her cheek up to his shoulder blades. "I'm fine, I was just looking at the sunrise."

"You know, you are still an odd woman, Kagome. We're about to be killed and yet you find the time to enjoy the company of the rising sun."

She giggled, but suddenly jumped when a shot nearly hit her left thigh. She flipped the police off and held on tight as Inuyasha swerved again in front of two cars with lots of people in them. Kagome had to wonder what was going on through those people's minds inside the cars when they were spotted, other than "Oh my gosh, is that REALLY Inuyasha the Shadow Lurker? And LOOK! The rumors are true! He's got Kagome Higurashi!". She wanted to laugh at them, but managed to scowl. The kids paid no heed to her and continued to stare.

It was Inuyasha's face that really got them to mind their own business.

Kagome smirked. She knew she had to be the only one not afraid of those fangs and claws. Once everyone had looked the other way, he retracted the claws and gave a small snort in satisfaction that only Kagome noticed.

Inuyasha groaned after a short turn around to look at the road again. "Shit…" Kagome looked ahead of them and caught sight of his distress. There was a police block up the road, and absolutely no way to get out of it with a motorcycle. There was no turning back, either. They must have figured that Inuyasha would do one of two things; he'd either stop and they'd shoot him, or he'd try to jump them and they'd shoot him from underneath.

Kagome smiled, stroking his long white hair to hear the nearly silent purr. "Inuyasha, I'll hold on, you run for dear life. We did this with Fluffy, remember?"

Catching on, his scowl turned to a smirk and he winked back at her. "I'll get to use my secret weapon; the element of surprise. Hold on tight to my shoulders." She hooked her arms under his and up around his shoulders, almost putting him in a full nelson, but not quite trying to connect her fingers. She closed her eyes tightly against Inuyasha's back and smiled, preparing for the air that would send chills up her spine once he jumped off.

Inuyasha sped up, getting closer and closer to the cops as they suddenly looked a little afraid of his intentions. Within a good twenty feet, he jumped off the bike and up onto the two story building next to him, giving the cops a run for their money with the motorcycle crashing into them. They were momentarily distracted with that, and Inuyasha took that chance to book it as far as he could until they could guarantee the safety of not being found anymore. For him, that might take a while, since everyone in the city was looking out for them.

As he ran, he jumped over a couple of buildings before getting down into some alleys, avoiding the air as much as possible. They would have a helicopter out soon, and he couldn't risk being found by one of those big things. Once they caught sight of them, the view would _stay_ on them, and the cops would once again be on their tails.

He didn't know about Kagome, but he was sick of running. If they didn't get out of this mess soon, he'd go insane, and his demon was eager to get a hold of some of those cops again.

Shaking his head of the pleasing thought, he continued to run. If his demon got out, there was no telling what he was capable of, or how many people he would kill. They had to get out now, or it would be a never-ending chain of people trying to kill him and Kagome, until they finally managed to bring him down.

He glanced back at Kagome and then looked ahead again. "Call Miroku, tell him that we're on foot and headed on our way. Also tell him to lock the door and only open up if it's me."

She did as she was told, wrapping an arm around his neck as if to strangle him as she got Miroku on the phone. "Hey, it's me…yea, look, we're on foot now and we're finding a way to escape the cops…lock your door and don't open it unless it's one of us, and you had better be certain because they could try to pull a fast one…yea, yea, same to you…ok, good, bye." She hung up and put her phone back into her pocket, only to look around in wonder at their surroundings. She had never been in this area before. 

Heck, she didn't even think that New York _had_ places like this.

It probably was the only area in New York besides Central park that had trees. The trees were in the little squares of dirt in between the sidewalks, and there was children's chalk all over the place. This neighborhood had to be loaded with kids; no adult in their right mind would ever do something like that.

Inuyasha glanced back at his mate again, as if thinking of asking a question but not sure how to go about it. He finally decided to get it over with, being as the silence was driving him insane. "Kagome, how'd you know that Kouga had that potion on him?"

"It was glowing a bright blue. It has an aura all it's own, and you still haven't told me what it does. Why do you want it so badly?"

His ears twitched with noises as he rounded a corner, perfectly concealed for the moment behind a child playhouse outside what he would call a daycare center. He set her down and panted softly before answering her. "It's a life potion; if I gave it to humans, they'd live just as long as we would."

Kagome smiled. "Awe, you're being sweet, you're going to give it to Sango and Miroku."

"Well, I was thinking about it, but now that you mentioned the word "sweet", I'm not so sure."

She shook her head at his arrogance and looked around. Being that it was now officially morning, mothers would be dropping off their children to go to work. And this _was _a daycare center…she knew that getting caught by a bunch of tiny kids would never end well.

"Inuyasha, we can't sit here, we have to get going."

"I know, I'm resting for a second." He leaned against the child play-center and tried hard to regain both his breath and composure. They had just escaped from a parade of angry adults, and if they stood around much longer they were bound to be discovered by some nosy little kid. A wailing child _never_ did good things for him.

Kagome wanted to hug him close, but feared that she'd hurt him from the beating he had taken. "Inuyasha, are you alright? Maybe you shouldn't run anymore."

"How else are we going to get to the hide-out? We're going, and I'm carrying you. End of discussion."

"No, it's not. You're hurt, Inuyasha. You can't run like that, especially with me on you. It's not good for you."

"It doesn't matter, our goal is to get to the cabin without being seen or caught. Once we get there, we'll worry about everything else." He looked down and panted softly, shaking his head with stifled laughter. "That bastard has been holding out on me. He had never fought that well in his entire life."

"Maybe that's a sign that Fluffy is stronger than he seems." She looked around again, making sure the coast was clear before bending down and forcing him to stare into her eyes. "If I help you, will you be ok?"

He shook his head. "I don't need your help right now; all we need is to get back to the cabin."

"Inuyasha, how are you going to get back to the cabin if you collapse from your injuries? Let me help you. You don't want the cops to win, do you?"

Inuyasha snorted and shook the bangs out of his eyes, looking up at her again. "The cops _won't _win."

"If you collapse, it's the same as saying they did. Now let me help you, at least until we get there. Then you can bitch and everything until your tongue swells."

Closing his eyes, he took a large breath in and sighed it out again. "How?"

"I'll share my energy with you, like you did me."

"That'll just buy us time."  
"Time's all we got. It'll help you run faster and pick up heavy objects like me."

"You ain't heavy. If you were, I would have teased you for it." He managed to stand straighter with the help of the kid's playhouse and stared down at her. "It won't hurt you, right?"

"No."

"Ok, but only because it seems that we don't have a choice."

Kagome smiled in victory. "On your knees, it's easier that way."

Before cocking both eyebrows and making an arrogant comment, Kagome had shoved him down by forcing his shoulders first, so down he went without the well thought out protests that he had. He sat there looking around before she placed the tip of her pointer finger on his forehead. "Close your eyes."

He did as commanded as the power rushed to his head. He could feel his energy growing from the tip of her finger to the back of his brain, like he was sucking it in. She gave him so much energy, he almost thought it would hurt if she kept giving him anymore. Inuyasha now probably had the ability to run twice around the city of New York and not get tired.

It drained Kagome, however, and he was forced to catch her weak form in his arms before she hit the ground. "Damn it, Kagome, I thought you said it was harmless."

"Do I look injured to you?" She panted, wiping her forehead off with her hand. "I'm just a little tired. I managed to keep enough of mine that I could stay awake. Now, however, you have to carry me."

Rolling his eyes, he stood and held her carefully bridal style against him. "Hold on tight, then." She wrapped her slender arms around his neck and thought seriously about falling asleep, but for some reason she decided not to. It felt good to be held like this, to be in his arms as he carried her to safety. She wanted to stay awake and relish that feeling.

Inuyasha began running again, this time at a speed he wouldn't have thought to be capable of in the condition he had been in. With Kagome's added energy, all pain was numb, and nothing could stop him from getting to their destination so that they could lie down in a nice, comfy bed and heal all their troubles away. 

That, and plan ahead to their next fit of action.

By now, Sesshomaru knew that they had escaped, and chances were he was furious beyond belief. After all, Inuyasha and Kagome had been able to deter EVERYTHING he had thrown at them, all except for the death of Kagome's father. He tried driving Kagome insane, and almost succeeded before she killed Kikyo, he had tried to murder them several times, and then sunk to his lowest by ratting him out and sicking the police on him.

Yep, it was definitely payback time.

He was able to dodge so quickly in between buildings and cars that it seemed they were nearly home free. Only a couple more blocks to go and then they could put that cabin on major lockdown to keep people away while they healed. Besides, he had a present for Miroku and Sango that they would probably love him for, and even if it was just to make Kagome happy he would hand it over with no questions.

He himself wouldn't mind them sticking around with them, even though he would never admit it.

Kagome lulled her head to the side, sleep starting to claim her before Inuyasha abruptly jumped in the air and landed harshly on the ground. He stopped for a moment and shook her lightly. "Kagome, stay awake until we get to the cabin."

"Why?" She yawned, snuggling against his chest more with a secure smile on her face. Almost as if she were hugging her teddy bear.

Or her pet dog…

"You have to stay awake so that I don't focus some of my energy making sure not to wake you up. Once you go to sleep, I wouldn't have it in me to wake you until you were good and ready."

Smiling, she nodded her answer and he started off again with only one thought in mind; that this would be over very soon and he and Kagome could finally have their lives together the way it should be.

They could finally have their peace.

But it would take all her intelligence and all his knowledge of his brother. Together, his complete group of six would plot a plan that even Fluffy could not escape…one that would prove who was in charge once and for all.

*~*~*^_^*~*~*

"Sango, stop pacing, they'll get here." Shippo stated from his position on the couch. He raised a bottle of beer up in cheers and chugged it down before throwing it into the trash can clear in the kitchen.

"I'll have to ask you not to do that, Shippo, I still own this house and I'd prefer to keep it nice and neat." Miroku was currently reading the paper in his leather chair, just to see how much of everything that had happened was in the news. It was interesting all the details he could find that weren't true at all. In fact, he could have been the perfect editor and made this the most interesting story that anyone would ever want to read.

"Sango, for the last time, sit down. Inuyasha will bring Kagome here and if something happens, one of them will call." Kira stated from her spot on the floor. She sat in a traditional Japanese style, her back against the wall. Sango still paced in front of the door, and the sound of her feet moving back and forth was beginning to hurt the Kitsune's ears.

Sango turned abruptly and glared at the Kitsune. "You apparently don't understand. Kagome is my best friend, and Inuyasha's up there too. What are we going to do if they both get shot down at the same time?"

Miroku stood, dropping the forgotten paper on the floor. He approached and embraced Sango, running his fingers through her hair as he tried to calm her. "You worry too much, Sango-chan. Kagome and Inuyasha are fine, I promise."

She returned the embrace, squeezing him for all he was worth instead of letting any worried tears fall. "I just worry, that's all."

"I know. It's only been five hours total, and we must remember that there's an art to escaping the entire police force while the responsibility of protecting your mate comes along with the package."

A pounding came at the door and the embracing couple immediately pulled back to grab onto their weapons. Miroku slowly grabbed the handle, but didn't open the door. "State your name and business."

"Uh, yea…let's see, if I remember correctly, I'm Inuyasha, and my mate Kagome's with me too…hmm…oh, that's right, I'm YOUR FUCKING BOSS! Open this fucking door!"

Miroku visibly relaxed and pulled open the door to the sight of the water drenched Inuyasha carrying a half-conscious Kagome bridle style. "Good thing, you were starting to scare Sango."

Kagome yawned as Inuyasha walked in and laid her on the couch. He pulled off his coat and threw it on the floor, grabbing a long lock of his hair and ringing it out all over the wooden grain. Miroku shook his head and sighed. "I can have your clothing dried, Inuyasha, but you'll _ruin_ my floors."  
"Miroku, you haven't lived here in a long time. Who cares about a stupid floor when you won't even use it?"

"Oh, I don't know, Inuyasha, I'm starting to like this house. I may stop by here more often."

Inuyasha ignored him and looked down at the very tired Kagome from the back of the couch. "You awake enough to go put dry clothes on, or do I have to dress you?" He asked with a smirk. Kagome wanted to gape, but that would be childish. She knew he would love to help her dress, but the way he suggested it was going to drive her mad with arrogance.

Kagome scowled at him, rolling her eyes as she forced herself into a sitting position. She yawned before staring at Sango. "You'll have to come with me, Sango. I'm too tired to pick out clothing and I'll probably need a little help getting into pants." She glared at Inuyasha. "That's ALL I need help with, too. I'm not a baby."

"Didn't say you were." Inuyasha stated, still ringing out his hair. "I want your wet clothes, all of it, when you come out again."

Kagome stood slowly and waved him off weakly. "Hai, hai, whatever." She gripped Sango's arm and was led into the back bedroom to change into some of Sango's clothing.

Miroku observed the mess of water all over the place with a disgruntled sigh. "It's not raining, Inuyasha. How'd you get wet?"

The Hanyou shook his head, shaking water off in the monk's face. He bent over and pulled his boots off, throwing them with the rest of the pile. "We ran through a few back yards, and some strange yard not too far from here had a ton of sprinklers. There was no way around, above, or below them, so I went through them."

"Why is Kagome so tired?" Kira asked, finally standing and stretching.

"She shared her energy to make sure that we got here." He pulled off his shirt and threw it into the heap of clothes on the floor. He would have removed everything else, too, but Kira was in the room and he figured Kagome wouldn't like it if he walked around naked in front of other women. He knew he sure as hell wouldn't tolerate it happening to her.

Shippo whistled at the sight of his stomach. It was literally black and blue in places, giving off the strange appearance that a truck had hit him. Because his demon was healing him faster, this is what the wounds would look like two days from now on a regular human.

Ignoring his companions, he swiveled his ears to listen into the bedroom. Kagome was still dressing, and she yawned so much it almost sounded like a breath pattern. A very unhealthy breath pattern…

"Kagome, let me see that…" Sango asked quietly.

"Sango, it's fine, don't draw attention to it."

"A normal human would probably need twenty stitches for that, Kagome. Maybe Inuyasha should look at it?"  
"He's already seen it. Besides, his wounds are worse. We'll heal them tonight."

A slight pause. "Are you sure you're alright, Kagome? You're pale."

"I'm drained. That's all, now help me with these."

"Hmph. That's all, huh?"

"I told you to drop it, Sango."

"Ok, if you say so."

Miroku nudged Inuyasha and he shook his head out of his trance. "Inuyasha, you really shouldn't eavesdrop. You know that Kagome and Sango don't like it."

"Kinda hard not to eavesdrop when you're the topic." He started the process of combing through his locks with his fingers, staring at Miroku as he talked. "Any ideas so far?"

Shippo and Kira, now sitting together on the couch, chirped up. Shippo had his hand raised and Kira rolled her eyes playfully at him. "Oh, oh, pick me, Inuyasha!"

"Shippo, this ain't a classroom."

"Obviously, since you don't know how to use the correct English."

"Whatever, just tell me your plan."

He pulled his hand down and made himself comfortable, scooting back more on the couch. "First off, we know we have to hit Fluffy when he least expects it, so if we go back to the club he'll know where we are and what we're doing. I figure if we hit him while he's in his hideout then it would be easier."

"Fluffy always has a good supply of people with him." Kagome stated, coming back from the bedroom. "The club will probably have heavy surveillance, even heavier than ours."

Miroku nodded. "However, his surveillance has ways around it. Even he can't afford the sort of security that would make it useless to try and deter it."

Inuyasha was watching Kagome as she approached him. He was very curious to say in the least. He had never seen her in that color of blue before and besides the pajamas that she had in flames, he wasn't sure he had seen her in something other than jeans before he had "stolen" her. The tank top that she had on, covered by the blanket she had wrapped around herself, was probably held up by a weak little strap or two. He was faintly interested in seeing what it looked like.

She held out her wet clothes to him and reluctantly he took them, throwing them in the pile with his and listening to Miroku curse. That made him smirk, for even though he had been a lecherous monk most of his life, he was quite the little neat freak. He was probably a nerd in high school, considering he was intelligent and gifted with many useful things for his gang.

All the more useful to him…he was both a wise man to ask for advice and a good man to keep behind you, working behind the scenes to do things with electronics that normal people would _never_ think of.

Kagome yawned again and glared at Inuyasha when he laughed at her. "What the hell's so funny?""You're so tired you can barely stay standing." He gripped her elbow softly and led her around the couch, effectively booting the two Kitsunes off onto the floor. He sat down on it with his back to the arm and one leg completely off while the other one was stretched across the back, making himself perfectly comfortable.

Inuyasha pulled Kagome down with him, sitting her back tightly to his chest. He removed the blanket from around her shoulders and covered both of them, wrapping his arms around her. The leg he had hung over the edge was now covering hers, effectively trapping her against him.

Sango sat in a leather chair and Miroku followed on the opposite side. "So how long will we be staying here?"

"Until the heat is down, or if we come up with a brilliant plan that can't wait." Kagome leaned her head back onto his chest and blinked, trying to stay awake because they were probably going to have a discussion, and she intended on being part of every discussion with the club from now on.

However, Inuyasha's warmth was just too hard to resist. She wouldn't hold out much longer.

When Kagome turned her head away, Sango made strange gestures at Inuyasha, pointing first at Kagome and then at her left shoulder. 

Understanding, he nodded and bent down to plant a kiss on Kagome's cheek, slowly working his way down her neck. Kagome's eyes seemed to no longer show tiredness as he neared her shoulder, pulling back the blanket to get a good view.

He had to admit; he was a little shocked. He knew she had been wounded, but he had no idea that it was like this. The skin had been sliced completely off the wound area, like the man had attempted to skin her alive. "Doesn't this hurt?"

She sighed. "A little."

"That bastard tried to skin you!"

"I'm still alive, aren't I? Besides, it's better than it was, so it'll be fine later on."

Feeling his chest rise with his sigh, she once again relaxed against him, this time closing her eyes. She didn't care anymore if she fell asleep; her eyes were burning so badly they had to be pure red where the whites were supposed to be. She'd probably fall asleep in the middle of discussing something, and even if it was an accident, it would be extremely unpleasant. She wasn't one who wanted to feel embarrassment.

She felt Inuyasha's arms tighten more around her, pinning her arms to her sides in their position. Kagome opened her eyes and leaned her head to the side, wanting to glance at him and see what he was doing. She had a feeling that he was going to do something she really wouldn't like, and that meant that he was feeling major regret for even thinking about doing it.

Before she could voice her protests, she hissed loudly as his tongue lightly grazed over the wound. She was nearly ripping holes in his jeans from her fingernails digging into them, but still did not say anything as he continued to (in a sense) 'clean' her wound. With every warm press of his tongue, a little shot of pain would hit the base of her spine. The only sign of comfort from his actions so far was the very low purr that he had set, making it so that only she could hear it.

Once she was used to it, though, it didn't sting as badly and she relaxed. In fact, the feeling began to feel really good, and she found herself closing her eyes again.

She was too tired to do much anything else.

He licked until the wound had healed, just like his instincts told him to. He waited until her shoulder was once again flawless, then stopped to kiss her cheek gently. "Better?" He asked quietly.

She nodded. "Much." She snuggled tighter against him and looked around to see everyone staring at them with fascination. She widened her eyes and then quickly narrowed them, huffing to cover her embarrassment. "What are you people looking at?"

Miroku had his finger tapping his chin. "I've never seen the healing process work that way. I don't mean to stare, but it's fascinating."

Kira smirked. "Well I just like seeing you two squirm under the pressure."

Kagome ignored her and stared at Sango. "So where were the two of you when we got arrested again?"

Miroku sighed to draw her attention to him. "It's my fault that we didn't get there in time, Kagome-chan. I held Sango back, even though she wanted to go with you two."

"Why?" Inuyasha asked, now rubbing Kagome's shoulders smoothly with both hands. He wasn't aware of himself doing it; he did it absently because his demon knew that she was still uncomfortable from her wounds. He was no longer worried about his stomach wounds because her back was pressed snuggly against him, and her heat reminded him of a warming pad. Both soothing and healing.

Miroku stood and walked into the kitchen to retrieve drinks for everyone. "When she told me she felt something strange, I knew it wasn't natural. If you were hurting someone at the time, I didn't think it was best to bust in on you and shock the hell out of you. Something like that could prove fatal." He came back with a case of beer, handing one out to everyone. "However, once I felt we waited long enough, we should go in and see what was happening. By the time we got in there, you guys were gone."

Sango snorted. "You're leaving a MAJOR part out of that, Miroku."

He cleared his throat. "That has nothing to do with it, I assure you."

She continued anyway. "Miroku 'thought' he spotted something near a trashcan. He spent a couple of minutes looking through it, only to come up empty handed. Then he sighed and came back to me, deciding that maybe we should check on you two. The only reason I listened is because he can get "feelings" and I can't."

Inuyasha growled lowly, now thoroughly pissed off. "WHAT?" He asked loudly, scaring Miroku enough that he gulped, but he still refused to move.

"Inuyasha, I apologize. I thought it could have been something of use, like something that Kouga could have dropped or something."

"Well for coming up empty handed it must have been really important." He snapped. "I should kill you." He stated deadly. "What is my number one rule, monk?"

Miroku leaned his head back, avoiding Inuyasha's eyes as he recited the words. "That no matter what, if you have a duty you are to stay focused to it and only it."

"That doesn't sound like you were focused to me, monk. We could have been KILLED yet YOU were busy dicking around!"

The monk wisely remained quiet. He gave a silent glare at Sango, who looked a little upset about telling him now. _Oh great, NOW she worries._

Inuyasha shook his head in disbelief. He knew that with how angry he was at the moment with Kagome pressed against him, without her he would have been strangling the monk. Pulling one hand away from Kagome (so that he could still keep much contact with her), he buried his face in it. "I can't believe this."

Sango sighed. "Inuyasha, it's also my fault. I didn't try to encourage him or anything, I should have said something to him."

He growled deeply, an almost vicious sound. He just couldn't believe this; the people he had trusted most other than Kagome decided to play around instead of watching their backs. They could have been killed, _Kagome_ could have been seriously hurt if the situation was different, and they wouldn't have been there to back him up in rescuing her.

This pissed him off to no end.

He became vaguely aware of a hand slowly massaging his thigh. Kagome looked at him with worry and concern. "Inuyasha, calm down. What's done is done and we can't change that. We're alive."

He still glared, but his gaze had noticeably softened. "If the situation didn't turn out like that then you could have very well been killed. _We_ could have very well died."

"But we DIDN'T, Inuyasha. It's obvious that they feel horrible about screwing up once. You can't blame them for what happened to us, anyway, because if they had been there they would have gotten arrested, too. Then they wouldn't have been able to help us like they did."

"That's not the point. The point is, they weren't there to back us up, and they are ALWAYS supposed to be there."

Miroku sighed. "We're sorry, Inuyasha, it won't happen again. Can we please put this behind us and move onto our NEXT moves?"

Before Inuyasha bit his head off, Kagome dug her nails into his thigh. For a human, she really had incredible strength, and he exhaled carefully to calm himself. "Fine. What do you propose we do next?"

"Miroku thinks that we need to hit Fluffy and hit him now." Sango stepped in, almost as if they hadn't argued about anything. "It's not safe to return to the club yet, and he'll be expecting that. We should hit him in his own club."

"Yea, but how are we going to sneak up on him?" Kagome spoke up, making definite sure that she was part of this conversation.

Miroku smiled. "I'm glad you asked, Kagome. We could pull a few moves like we did for the breakout. The blackout is one, and that would give us the chance to eliminate any normal humans. We can use several new technology skills and cut the power system…"

Inuyasha sighed. "But?"

"Based on the information we've gathered on his club, the power circuit is located above an air duct, and in order to get to it you have to crawl through it. I can't do it; I know for a fact that I'm too big. And the person that does it has to have some knowledge of technology, or at least what wires to cut." He scratched his head, the expression clearly in his eyes that he was going to suggest something. "In fact the only one who could besides me and you here is…" He motioned to Kagome and Inuyasha glared at him.

"Forget it, she's not climbing through some air duct in the dark. Someone could find her and hurt her."

"Inuyasha," Sango chipped in. "That part of the job would be the easiest because she'd be out of harms way. Besides, she knows technology unlike me, and she'd be able to do it. We can't do this with any other members of the club because they would be incredibly obvious and bring Fluffy to us faster than we want him to."

"Shit."

Kagome glared at him. "You can't _seriously_ think that you're going to defeat your brother all on your own? The only way you even got a hold of him the time he stabbed me was because his claws were buried deep in my gut." She whispered the next, but everyone could hear her. "You NEED me, and my Miko powers. I could go up and cut the circuit then join you and help you. If you're going to defeat him, you'll do it with me. If you go down, which, I might add, you won't, I'll go with you."

Shippo sighed. "She's right, Inuyasha. You need all of us here, and it should start with Kagome cutting the power. While she gets out of the vent, she'll find her way to the bottom floor, and by then we should have defeated all the humans needed. Fluffy won't leave his office unless he finds a good reason."

Inuyasha stared off into space for a moment, his lip twisting in thought. Kagome wanted to hit him because he had blocked her off from him, and she couldn't tell where this would lead.

However, whatever his decision would be from now on, she wouldn't argue with him. She could show him that she'd follow his orders and become a true gangster. One that wouldn't be defiant about everything he told her.

Inuyasha sighed and directed all his attention to her. "You _do_ realize what kind of power it takes just to consider letting my mate do something even remotely dangerous?"

"Of course I do, but I don't want you to think that I can't take care of myself. I want to be with you in every sense of the word, Inuyasha. That means fighting along side you, too."

Her other hand stroked a piece of his hair out of his eyes. He couldn't help it; he just wouldn't say no to her in that instant. "Fine. Later I will instruct you personally one what to do."

She wanted to squeal, but she was to dignified to do so. "Thank you, Inuyasha."

"Keh. Whatever."

Miroku stood. "Well, since that part's settled, we need to decide on one more thing before getting a little rest." 

Kira nodded. "That's right, we do."

"We need to figure out how to bring Fluffy down. What should we use?"  
Inuyasha shifted, moving Kagome over to lean closer to the back of the couch. "Obviously bullets are out. They wouldn't even faze that idiot. A sword could only be used if he was wounded badly enough that he wouldn't move away from it." The leader sighed deeply. "He's not going to be nearly as easy as easy to take down as Kouga was. Even though Kouga put up a good fight, Sesshomaru's still his boss. That demon has advantages."

Sango purposefully moved behind Miroku's chair, gripping his shoulder lightly. "Fluffy feared Kikyo, Inuyasha."

"He feared her because she was insane with power. A Miko's energy could incinerate anything if focused hard enough."

"What if Miko energy was focused through you?" Miroku suggested. "Kagome could hold onto you and magnify her powers through you, just as she did with Kikyo. Your demon aura should do a good job helping that energy into something powerful enough to destroy our little ice prince."

"I don't know how to focus the powers I have into something I can shoot. I'm not that kind of demon." Inuyasha stated. "The way we had did it with Kikyo was that she was in front and I was giving her my energy just by pushing it all into my hands."

"So do it that way again."

"Then I couldn't protect her if Fluffy chose to strike."  
"Well you need to at least consider it. What other choice would we have? If he won't be defeated easily with knives and guns, then perhaps raw power is what we need to use. Something that he doesn't have a good defense against, especially now since his Miko is dead."  
Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "I'll consider it."

"Good." 

Shippo leaned back and sat fully on the floor, putting his feet out in front of him like a little kid. "Wait, wait, what about Rin? She's just as sly as some of us; she'd prove to be difficult."

Sango grinned. "We kill her. She's just as bad as Fluffy and will pose problems if left alive."

Miroku stared off into space dreamily, slumping more down into the seat. "It's a shame, really. Such lovely skill has to go to waste." A shoe came into contact with the back of his head and he glared up at his growling girlfriend. "Oww, what was that for?"

"You're still a dirty Hentai."

"I was complimenting her skill, not her body."

"You _still _complimented the enemy." Inuyasha broke in.

Kagome yawned again and tugged on Inuyasha's pants. "Sleep…must sleep…" Her head drifted forward, but with a bounce from her mate's knee she sat straight up again.

Inuyasha shook his head warily. "Look, Kagome's too tired to continue this conversation. We've got until tomorrow night, and we have wounds that are to be healed."

She shook his pant leg, her eyes still tightly shut. "You have something to give them before we go anywhere."

Nodding slowly, he pulled himself out from behind her and put a pillow in his place so she wouldn't fall over. He walked over to his still soaked clothing and out of the coat he brought the bottle of potion, observing it carefully as he walked over to his human friends. He held it up to the monk first. "You remember me talking about this, don't you?"

Miroku widened his eyes, taking the bottle from Inuyasha and looking it over carefully. "This is it? The life potion?"

Inuyasha nodded. "You two are the only one's still human in the group. You won't live as long as we do, and if both you and Sango drink half of this potion you'll have healing abilities and you'll live as long as we will. Even your future brats will live like you two."

Sango was nearly speechless. Almost… "Are there any risks?"

The Hanyou shook his head. "It smells clean, and you shouldn't react in any bad way to it."

Miroku and Sango looked at each other and then shrugged. He handed it to Sango first, and slowly she popped the cork off, smelling it carefully before pulling the tip down in her mouth. She drank half and pulled it away, making a strange face before Miroku took it and finished it off.

Inuyasha watched them with fascination before taking the empty bottle back. He smirked at their strange expressions. "Well? Do ya feel any different?"

The monk shrugged, looking down in displeasure. "I don't know…I don't feel different."  
"Me either." Sango said, much with the same expression.

Kagome stared at them, her eyes very drowsy. "They have auras, Inuyasha. Can you see it?"

He nodded. "Yea, I just wanted to know if they felt it."

Miroku shrugged. "Well, I don't feel anything. But if we have auras now, then something has to have changed."

Kira smiled softly, braiding Shippo's hair in her lap. "It probably means that you'll be harder to hurt, now."

"We'll finish this discussion tomorrow. I claim the guestroom." He walked over to Kagome and picked her up bridal style, swiftly carrying her into the back room. "Make sure that all doors and windows are locked. If the Kitsune's are staying in this room, they should keep their eyes and ears open while we heal."

Shippo grinned like a giddy schoolboy. "No problem, Inuyasha!" Kira elbowed him and scowled. "Infidel."

Inuyasha slammed the guestroom door and turned the lock, setting Kagome down to stand but not quite letting her go. He grabbed her chin and forced her tired head to look up at him. "You going to last for a little while longer?"

She blinked wearily and nodded. "Yea, I will, why?"

"You need to take off your clothes."

That seemed to wake her up. "What for? They're dry."

"I can still sense wounds and bruises all over you. In the past when we healed, you're wounds were all above the waist. We need skin contact for them all to heal properly."

Kagome bent her head down; a little too tired to argue with him. "Ok…sure…whatever."

He helped her out of her shirt, throwing it to the floor. Her bra would pose a challenge, so while she was too drowsy to get angry he just sliced it right off. He finished by taking off her pants and any other things she had on, and then led her to the bed.

After stripping himself of his own clothes, he got under the blankets with her and pulled so that her head was nestled right underneath his chin. She clutched at him, wrapping her arms around his back and sighing in content. "Inuyasha?"

"Hmm?"

"Thanks."  
"For?"

"For even considering letting me do something remotely dangerous."

He was silent for a moment before beginning the soothing process of running his claws delicately through her hair. "We can't do it without you. I didn't want you to feel left out anymore."

With her hum as a response, she snuggled in closer and fell into a deep sleep, leaving Inuyasha to think very seriously about tomorrow's events.

He knew one thing for certain; his stupid brother was going down. Nothing would stop him this time, and no matter what happened he would die. Inuyasha just couldn't have him around causing all this trouble for his friends and family, especially in the years to come. No, that wouldn't do at all.

Just look at what had happened to Kagome. Her father died, he had gutted her personally, and he was still after her head. Kagome had to be the most resilient human he had ever known of. She still had every shred of her sanity, even though on a couple of occasions it went flying out the window.

But how to go about it? He had basically agreed that Kagome would be the one to go up and cut the wires. That meant that she'd have to get some special equipment to help her accomplish it. And then there's the matter of what to do when she finished. Fluffy would find her if she didn't leave because her scent would be carried throughout the building, leading him to her location and situation.

And Rin…that woman was something to be nervous about. She probably missed her shots as often as she spoke. Even more emotionless than Fluffy, Rin seemed to have long ago lost her sanity. That's what made her so dangerous. She would have to be disposed of and quickly before her and Fluffy teamed up together.

Inuyasha shook his head and smirked. Tomorrow would be the day; the day that he could give his brother back all the pain that his brother had caused him. He'd wound both his pride and he himself before the dawn would break the horizon.

*~*~*^_^*~*~*

A/N-Thanks for reading! This chapter was a little…what's the word…blah? It's probably my least favorite chapter of the whole story, but it serves its purpose none the less. I'll have the next chapter up very soon, so please review! ****

**Sobs** Not that many more chapters to go…


	22. Preparation

****

Thank you for the generous reviews! I really love you guys, you know that? I never imagined that I would get so many reviews for my story! THANK YOU!

IMPORTANT NOTE-Thanks for your support, and I want you all to understand something quickly. I _love_ Rin and Sesshomaru. They are some of my favorite characters on the show. They just fit this way into my story. I know that some of you don't really like the way I've portrayed Rin, but I do appreciate you not completely hating me for it. I apologize for her total OOCness in the story, but that's the way I have it set up. Any other fanfiction's I write in the future will probably have those loving characters a lot less OOC, so please forgive me for now!

Another note-I'm nearing the end of this story **sob**, but if you would like me to have a sequel then let me know. What I will do is for every review that gives me their email, I will send you a preview for it, and then you can tell me on the last chapter whether or not I should continue it. Remember, you have to TELL me that you want the preview, and I MUST have your email, as well. If I get enough people thinking that I should continue it, I'll post it and everything. We'll just see how that goes!

Disclaimer-I may wish all I want, but apparently I will never own him. I'll only be able to use him for my pleasure in my fanfiction stories!

**Chapter 22-Preparation**

"_That_ has got to be the most ridiculous thing _I have ever heard, Houshi!_" Screamed Sango from the living room. Inuyasha snapped out of his sleep at hearing this and groaned, but bit back anything terribly vocal in hope that Kagome would stay asleep for a little while longer.

"Eat your lunch _without complaining for once_!"

"I HAVE NEVER HEARD SUCH A LOAD OF BULLSHIT!"

"Well _you_ apparently don't _listen_ because I know a few people who make _plenty_ of FARFETCHED COMMENTS!"

"You're _so_ full of shit! You blame this all on me when it's really your fault!"

"_MY fault?_ What in the seven hells are you talking about! You're the one who told him! He nearly killed me!"

"It _was _your fault! He can tell when we lie, monk, I wasn't going to lie to him!"

"Well _leaving out_ a part doesn't count as _lying_!"

Something smashed and Sango snorted loudly. "YOU'RE NOT PINNING IT ON ME! I'm not the ONLY one to blame, and if you can't see that then you're dumber than you look!"

"I'm not the stupid one, I KNOW WHEN TO KEEP MY MOUTH SHUT!"

She snorted again in laughter. "Yea right, and pigs fly. You don't know when to quit when it comes to women AND arguing with Inuyasha! I can't believe you're still alive!"

Kagome moaned and grabbed the nearest pillow, holding it tightly over her head to muffle the sounds of the arguing couple. Inuyasha groaned inwardly. He didn't want to move, but his ears were starting to hurt and Kagome was in distress. 

And naturally, the instinct was that while she's healing and tired, others WILL let her sleep or else.

He pulled carefully away from Kagome and slipped his pants on, then burst open the door to find Sango poking Miroku in the chest and him snarling back at her, one of her hands wrapped up in his larger one above their heads. He also noticed Shippo and Kira, sitting in the corner reading maps and information sheets with what appeared to be earmuffs over their ears. They were perfectly content because they couldn't hear a thing, minding their own business as they continued to read.

Inuyasha rumbled loudly, drawing the arguers' attention away from each other to him. "Look, I don't know what's _more_ important to you, a stupid argument or a very pissed off me, but I'm warning you right now. If you don't shut the hell up and let us sleep some more, I'll bury you both alive. It's barely four in the afternoon, and I intend on sleeping a few more hours. Do you understand me?"

They seemed hesitant to answer, but both nodded once in response. Inuyasha's attention gathered that Sango was close enough to strangle Miroku if necessary, and she had done that on purpose. The monk would never hurt Sango, no matter what (it was in his blood, after all), but Sango had always been a very violent person. She took the hard way out of everything and enjoyed showing that she wasn't some weak submissive female that couldn't even pick out her own clothing.

Inuyasha stormed back into the room and slammed the door, locking it again and seeming to wipe his face free of emotion. _What the hell was up with those two? I have seen them at it before, but they were never out for each other's throats!_

There was a bang on the floor from the other side, but before Inuyasha could go back out Shippo took care of it. "HEY! If I have to get up and _physically_ restrain you, woman, you're going outside on a leash!"

"You're not the boss of me, Shippo! I'm higher in the ranks than you, meaning _I_ can bring _you_ down!"  
Kira spoke next. "But against both of us, you will not win, so clam up. Inuyasha's trying to let Kagome rest."

With that, it grew silent on the other side of the wall other than the shuffling of footsteps, all retreating in different directions. The one that stomped he guessed was Sango, as that soon followed with a vicious slam of the door in the master bedroom. The other headed into the kitchen, madly rummaging through the cabinets in search of something to take his mind off the events that had happened. More than likely something that could drown out his sorrows.

Inuyasha didn't have to warn the monk not to get drunk today; he knew better. This would be the biggest heist Inuyasha had ever had anything to do with. Probably the biggest in gangster history. As far as he could remember, there had never been a face-off with two major gangsters, fighting to the death for the title of lead gangster in the state of New York. Human gangs fought all the time, but it would never be over something as big as this.

It was so big in fact, that he wanted everyone involved. Lately he had to think the truth anyway; the cold fact of the matter was it _took_ everyone to complete this job. How, he wasn't quite sure of yet, but he knew that it wouldn't work without everyone having some major part in it. It was back to endangering everyone's lives to get his way, just like it was before Kagome came along.

And it would all start with _her_.

She would cut the wire that would get the club of humans riled up. After taking down any and all humans in the darkness (because of their increased night vision as a major advantage), they'd proceed to wait for her to back out of the system and join them on the ground. The next section would prove to be trickier.

They had to get Rin _before_ she was anywhere near Fluffy. If she caught wind of them and ran off to join Sesshomaru, their chances of being beat would decrease and they would definitely loose. Fluffy's secret of power, much like Inuyasha's in a sense, was his mate. Separated they could be destroyed easily, but together they were impenetrable. Once he was in contact with his mate, nothing would go through them.

That was the Youkai law. However, Inuyasha didn't know what the chances were with two Youkai pairs after each other.

He realized that that was probably one reason why Kagome never left his side. Despite the fact that he wanted her safe at all costs, he had always known of a certain power that had to do with her being near him. It was probably the bond in a sense, too, but that didn't matter to him.

He snorted. _That and her Miko abilities. I don't think I've even _heard _of a Miko stronger than her._

Inuyasha shook his head, realizing that he had been standing near the door while Kagome still rested in bed. She was still a little tired, so a few more hours of sleep was a good idea. However, he would not allow her to sleep in that bed without him with her for another moment. Not when he had the choice to be with her.

Yawning and stretching, Inuyasha climbed into the other side of the bed. He watched Kagome go from clutching her pillow tightly to turning immediately back into his warmth. Smiling, he kissed her temple and wrapped himself around her as much as possible, nuzzling his cheek into her hair.He felt himself relax with her returning heat and scent, and it wasn't shortly after that he dozed back into sleep.

*~*~*^_^*~*~*

Sesshomaru stood, pacing for the first time in years in his office. He was furious, anxious, and worst of all…nervous. Things were not going as he had planned…Inuyasha and his bitch had avoided him AGAIN and it pissed him off to no end. Somehow, that bastard had taken down the one tool he thought could bring Kagome Higurashi back to her so-called "senses". The police forces were supposed to know how to deal with her, how to hold her somewhere safe until he could have broken in and killed her. He wouldn't have waited long, either, because the minute he hit word of what she was going to be doing he was eager to finish her off.

Of course, that never happened, and all his future planning had been so blown out of proportion there was no way that it could ever be fixed. 

What _really_ boiled his blood was the fact that nobody knew where they had escaped off to. No one even knew whether the six major people in that gang were still in the city. Hell, for all he knew currently about his half brother, Inuyasha could have been gay and was just using Kagome as a cover-up.

He shook his head and mused silently to himself. For once, someone's homosexuality could have proved useful to him. If only his brother was never interested in women in the first place...then Kagome would have never been a problem to him. He could have killed her off when she least expected it.

He shuddered, shaking his head violently with those thoughts. He leaned on the desk and sighed deeply. "Just wait until I capture that little mongrel. I have stooped to my ultimate low just _letting _him live." Shaking his head violently, he started the pacing again. _What to do, what to do…_

Rin walked into his office, her same expressionless face not giving any signs of news. She shut the door behind her and made her way over to the desk, standing motionless in front of it. She waited for him to stop pacing before making eye contact with her mate.

Sesshomaru turned, sighing carefully so he didn't loose his cool. "Well? What news?"

She inhaled and answered in all honesty. "Nothing is heard, Sesshomaru. Inuyasha has escaped us, for now, and so has his Miko wench."

"Do not underestimate that bitch, Rin. _Never_ make that same mistake I did."

"Sesshomaru…"

He pounded the desk, panic clearly evident in his eyes as his mask slipped. "That fucking WENCH is messing everything up! Her and that stupid Hanyou brother of mine!"

Rin shook her head, now staring directly at a spot on his chest as worry spread over her features. "Sesshomaru, please. You had no idea that she would be like this. It's not your fault."

"It's like Kami is walking behind her, step for step. Nothing will KILL that girl."

"Why not worry more about Inuyasha?"

His snort of amused laughter made her relax. It was always good to see him show emotion of pleasantry. "Once Inuyasha looses the key to his sanity, then anything could happen to him. He'd no longer have control of his life and he would be easy to destroy. Kagome Higurashi, however, is a force to be reckoned with all on her own, in more ways than one." He tapped his chin impatiently and then smiled at his mate. "No matter how much I despise her I have to admire her for getting out of all of my plots so well. But that's where you'll step in, Rin. You'll be her greatest challenge yet."

Rin grinned and clapped her hands together like a little schoolgirl. "You mean I get to take her down _all_ by myself? Awe, Sessy, you shouldn't have."

"You're right, I probably shouldn't. But I'm confident in you. When the time comes, you'll take her down, and I'll deal with her stubborn Hanyou."

She ran around the desk and hugged him tightly, an evil grin still on her features. "I can't _wait_ for the challenge!"

He patted her back and smirked. "Just remember what I told you." He let the emotion fly on his face. When it was just he and she, neither would hold back their feelings behind their blank mask. He had taught her to do it because emotions had always been the key in getting killed. If one showed pain or happiness, it could be their weakness and somehow used against him. It's what Sesshomaru's father had taught him, and he found it to be quite truthful in all the battles he had been in. He was still alive, wasn't he?

When he had found Rin, she had been a pleasant schoolgirl that he despised. How she eventually grew on him back then, he would never know, but the day they became mates he began teaching her everything he knew. Rin could probably be a gang leader all on her own, and a rather vengeful side had sprouted from her in the growth. For being the mate to a rather devious gangster, that was a skill that he wanted her to keep hidden away, to store until it was truly needed.

A time like the current would suffice nicely.

Rin backed away and smiled joyfully at him. "Would you like anything to drink? I'm in a really good mood, now, and we should celebrate."

He chuckled softly and looked down. "A bottle of wine would be lovely."

She nodded and walked away, putting her mask back on before she left the room so the rest of the club wouldn't ask questions. Sesshomaru continued to smirk after her. If anyone could stop Kagome Higurashi, it would be Rin. She would have fun doing what she did best; frightening people and stunning them beyond belief.

She couldn't fail him.

*~*~*^_^*~*~*

Finally up and about, Kagome was sitting in the master bedroom while Miroku gathered objects out of his closet. After a few more hours of sleep, she finally felt well enough to get started, and with good timing, too. It was getting dark, and if they wanted to strike they would do it at night. It was the only way to get out of this mess.

Miroku pulled out a suitcase from the top shelf and plopped it down on the bed, opening it to reveal many different tools stashed in separate little foam holders. The first one he pulled out was a long piece of metal, much like a needle in appearance. He rose it and showed it to Kagome with a twist of his hand. "This is a very useful one, you'll be able to get screws undone with them, and you can pick locks very easily. The trick of using it is not to stab yourself, though, so be careful." He laid it down over a cloth on the bed and continued rummaging through the case.

Kagome sat back and watched him with amusement. _So, the monk doesn't fight like that with his beloved often, does he? Look at him, he's fidgeting._

The next tool he pulled out Kagome recognized. "Ah, clippers."

"To cut the wires." After setting that down, he pulled out silky looking elbow and knee pads. "These will help you move through the ventilation system easier. That way, we won't have to grease you up or anything and you won't give off a strange scent."

"_Grease me up?_"

"It's an expression, nothing more I assure you."

"Ok."

Miroku grinned as he held up what appeared to be three black golf balls. "Ah, these I have fun with. Just hit the button on top and throw them, and the demon's senses will screw up so badly in the smoke they won't know what planet they're on."

"How am I going to carry all this stuff?"

"In a small pack over your back. You can't climb if your busy holding something, and there's no room on your belt to house all these necessities. Your coat will make too much noise, no one will be wearing theirs, so hiding this stuff in your pocket is out."

Kagome stared at him in bewilderment. Either he was a good actor, or he wasn't nervous at all about this. "Miroku, aren't you a _teensy_ bit worried that we are all going to die?"

Miroku could only smirk. "I'm terrified. It's always like that. However, I'm confident in the group. I don't think we will lose this one."

"What about Sango?"

His expression turned unreadable and he gazed back down at the case. "What about her? She's a big girl, she can handle herself."

"You're worried for her."

"Of course I am, do you really consider me shallow in that way, Kagome? I love her with all my being, just because we're not speaking to each other doesn't mean a thing when it comes to that."

Kagome smiled warmly. That had to have been the sweetest thing she had ever heard escape from his mouth. "So you're not on speaking terms, then?"

"Well…not exactly…we _do_ talk, but it consists of yelling and screaming and violence on her part. We'll get it worked out, but right now I have to prepare you like I was told." He proceeded to grab wireless microphones and handed one to her. "I'll give you better instructions through these. Its volume is turned down low, so you'll have to really pay attention."

"Do you think I can do this Miroku?"

"You've been waiting forever for a chance to prove yourself, right? Now you get the chance and you get cold feet?"

She sighed. "That's not it at all…I _want_ to do this, I'm just not sure if I can."

"I'm confident in you as well as the rest of the group. Besides, I'll be helping you. Inuyasha wouldn't know what wires went where when it comes to this sort of thing, so he'll be busy killing people. He'll have to entrust your life with me." He looked down in grateful thought. "Actually, I should be very honored by that. He doesn't like me very much right now, I'm surprised."

"I'm not. Other than me you're his best bud, _despite _your many flaws."

"That's very amusing, Kagome-chan. Now hold still…" He slipped a metal bracelet over her wrist and removed a scanning device from the pack, running it directly over the bracelet and listening to it beep. Then he put it away and checked a handheld device, nodding in satisfaction as he watched the screen.

Kagome sighed. "Let me guess…a tracking device?"

"Kagome, Inuyasha had nothing to do with this, this is all my doing. Fluffy's club is a puzzle of mazes, and it's a very large area. Inuyasha didn't think about this, but in order to make sure that you're still well and nearby, I'll use this device. Don't worry, everyone will get one."

"Even Sango?"

"If she'll let me, yes."

"Don't you want to talk to her?"

"Why are you worried about us, Kagome? You should focus on the mission, not on our personal lives."

Kagome stood, trying the weight of her bracelet as she moved her arm around. "I _am_, Miroku. Think of it this way; when we defeat our Fluffy-sama in all his glory, it would be a shame for you two to still be feuding. It would ruin the moment."

Miroku looked straight at her, almost surprised that she thought of the well being of the club. "That's a good point, Kagome. I'll think about it."

"Well, it's better than nothing."

He grabbed Kagome's shoulders lightly and looked her directly in the eyes. "Now, for the sake of mine and Inuyasha's sanity, you have to promise me that you'll be careful, and if you're unsure about anything you will ask. Please?"

"Wait, why for your sanity?"

He shook his head, rolling his eyes as far up as they go. "Must you do everything the hard way? I don't want to be responsible for something happening to you, a good friend of mine, and my best friend's mate for life. I know Inuyasha wouldn't take it well, and that'd end up pulling me into insanity, too." Miroku glanced down and raised his eyebrows. "That's a path I don't want to go down again…sometimes us mystical people have problems with their sanity. I'm sure you know what I mean."

Kagome patted his head like a little child. "I promise, Miroku, now take your hands off me before Inuyasha sees you."

"Oh, good point." Ripping his hands back quickly, he stood. "That should take care of the basics. Anything else you need besides your weapons I'll be holding."

"Thanks." She stood and stretched, grabbing the pack that Miroku had stuffed all the things into and lifting it experimentally in one hand. It wasn't heavy, so she'd be able to get around quickly without having that as a possible hazard.

That was good, she'd hate to have a problem while a demon was trying to kill her.

Kagome shook her head. She had no idea that her life would end up this exciting. Now that she had finally been given the chance to be a true gangster, she was nervous. Nervous of messing up, nervous for her life, and nervous for the lives of her friends.

Looking at Miroku, she could sense that his new aura felt the same way. He had a heavy burden on his shoulders, as Inuyasha had made sure that Miroku would always be there to help out when he was preoccupied with something else. Even though Kagome was second in command, Miroku was the technology freak. In this day and age, _everything_ had to do with technology. The only thing that Inuyasha couldn't do that Miroku could is control the electricity in a building. Of course, the only reason that's the way it is was because Inuyasha never took the time to learn.

And, sadly, Inuyasha couldn't be everywhere at once, and Kagome was right about being kept on a leash all the time. He couldn't keep her in his safe arms forever; she had to do things for herself sometimes…or with a mere human's help.

Only Kagome didn't know if Miroku could be considered human anymore, and Sango too, for that matter. If she was considered a human before, she definitely wasn't now. If they have a longer life span like they do now, she didn't think that they were considered it anymore.

And the fact that they lost their humanity didn't bother her in the least.

Now they could stay with them forever, and as long as they took care of this final obstacle then everything would be fine. If destiny put her with Inuyasha, then nothing should be able to separate them. They would always be stronger together than apart, fighting side by side, taking down any and all threats to their pack. Kagome was rather looking forward to that.

But she had to test herself, first. If she wasn't able to do this mission then she couldn't help Inuyasha maintain a club. Hell, she'd be pretty useless. She planned on proving that this world didn't have what it took to separate them, or to even think about it. They were destined to kick rebellion ass.

A pounding came at the door and Kagome prepared to yell at Inuyasha. She was shocked at who beat her to it. "Sango, we'll be out in a minute! Get away from my door!"

"Houshi, don't make me come in there! Inuyasha wants Kagome, NOW!"

"I SAID WE'RE COMING!"

Sango stomped away grumbling, shaking her head. She couldn't BELIEVE the nerve of that monk…first informing her that even though HE was the one to do wrong, it was all _her_ fault, and then insisting that she get away from _his_ door? She was higher in the ranks than him…just who the hell did he think he is?Kagome rolled her eyes. "That's it, Miroku, if you don't talk to her, I will. And how'd you know it was her, anyway?"

Miroku seemed stunned, staring through the door in wonder. "I don't know…I just _knew_ it was her. I'm not exactly sure how."

"Miroku, GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE!" Inuyasha shouted from the other side of the room. "And bring Kagome with you!"

Miroku chuckled to himself. "Alright, Inuyasha, we're coming." He turned and started to pack away his supplies, but spoke sternly while he worked. "Inuyasha's getting impatient. I suggest you brace yourself for the lecture of your life, because I think he wants to get going."

Kagome nodded, absently rubbing her arms. It would feel good to be near him for a little while. It would soothe her nerves.

She exited the room, nearly walking into her mate as he stood in the doorway with his arms crossed and eyebrows quirked. "Well, bout time. Let's go." Before letting her respond, he gripped her arm and pulled her around, back into the guest bedroom, and after shutting and locking the door he pulled her into a kiss.

Although Kagome was stunned she responded quickly, securing a tight grip around him. She processed that he was wearing only his sleeveless shirt right now, similar to the outfit that Miroku had convinced her to wear.

She decided then that she didn't mind not having a coat on. Inuyasha's hands were still tightly clutching her to him, skimming over her waist line to her hip. He seemed to be drawing something from her, but Kagome couldn't put her finger on it. She decided she didn't care, anyway.

He pulled back gently, pulling both his hands up to her shoulders and leaning his forehead against hers. He was quiet for a moment before closing his eyes. "You ready?"

Kagome held him tighter. "Yea."

He paused. "You smell scared."

"I'm nervous, that's all. I don't plan on backing out. I _want_ to do this."

He sighed. "I know." 

Kagome could feel him shiver when he exhaled, almost wondering if it was more of a tremble than it was a shiver. 

"Please be very careful, Kagome. This is the first time you'll have to act your position like you're supposed to. It's also the first time that you'll probably be no where near me until the final part."

Kagome smirked, deciding to lighten the mood. "So you're scared, then?"

"I don't think that _quite_ covers it." He shivered again and brought his hand around to the back of her head, pulling her into his chest. Her hold just tightened around his waist, and like a booming speaker she could feel his heart beating against his ribcage.

"I'll be fine, Inuyasha. Miroku gave me the instructions, the tools, and he will have ways to keep in contact with me at all times. I think I've got it somewhat covered."

"What if you run into Rin or Fluffy before the rest of us can get to him?"

"I'll use my gas bomb thingy and escape."

He laughed softly at her choice of words, rubbing his thumbs over the edge of her shoulders. "You're hilarious. Even in times like this, you're optimistic."

"If I don't do that, I'll go insane."

"Well then, I can't argue with you, now can I?" He kissed her forehead lightly and smiled down at her, actually looking into her eyes as she backed a little away from him. "If you pull this off, you could be watching the club for me while I run off on business trips."

She snorted, glaring up at him playfully. "Inuyasha, you know damn well if you leave this town I'm going to go with you. Your demon couldn't stand to be away from me _that_ long."

He chuckled, running his fingers through the base of her hair. "I suppose that is true, but I'm saying that you'll be put right up there in the best of second in commands there ever was."

Kagome nodded and looked at her feet. "I love you, Inuyasha."

"Well thanks, I love you too, but don't start thinking that there's a chance we'll fail or we will. That's the first rule of a heist like this one."

"Noted."

He pulled completely out of her grip and reached into a bag that Kagome didn't notice him carrying. "Well, now you're going to get the same lecture you just got from the monk." He made a strange face. "Did he touch you?" He asked casually.

"He did. Just to make me promise to listen to him."

"How does touching you make you promise something? It doesn't work with me!" He pouted, almost like a little kid, and Kagome had to fight the urge of laughing at him.

"You don't do it with desperation in your eyes. Now, about that lecture?"

Inuyasha nodded once, forgetting the argument, and reached into his bag again. He pulled out something that Kagome had never seen before; a little black cube with a button on the top. "This I shall entrust to you."

"You sound like the monk."

"I'm not finished, shut up."

Kagome scoffed and sat down on the bed, crossing all her limbs as he continued.

"Ok, now, this is a bomb. You push the button it'll wait for three minutes before blowing everything to kingdom come. After we finish taking down Fluffy, you'll be the one to place it. And you will give the orders and we won't question you."

"We're going to blow Fluffy's entire club area?"

"Hell ya. It's trademark. There will be no chance of us leaving evidence."

"Well what's your reason for letting _me_ drop the bomb?"

He looked at her carefully, leaning against the wall to see her reaction. "Tonight everything will be based on you. You will start _and_ finish this mission. It's only right if you be the one to destroy his home, too."

Kagome stood slowly, gripping her chin in thought as she walked in front of him. "I know I start it, but how exactly will I finish it?"

"Well, deary, everyone _else_ thinks that the only way to bring him down is to use your energy, magnified by us demons."

"See, I don't remember being involved in _that_ _conversation_."

"You weren't, and I wasn't either. They did it after I went to sleep last night, because the monk and Sango were at it this morning and probably wouldn't cooperate if their lives depended on it. I was informed of it when you were getting lectured by Miroku."

"And you're ok with this?" She almost acted enraged. "If I use all my power destroying him, I won't be able to _leave_ awake!"

"Yes you will. You will save some energy for yourself because you will have our help. Kira and Shippo are going to help, as well, no one will pass out afterwards."

Kagome shook her head. "I don't think I can do that…"  
"Yes you can." Inuyasha stated. "You will _beat them_, you remember saving energy when you helped me? You can do that again."

"Oh god, Inuyasha…"

"Look…" He reached forward and grabbed her shoulder. "This whole mission is about doing things you didn't think possible. It's new to all of us. I mean look at how generous I'm being! I'm letting you do everything that everyone else believes only you can do." He blew his bangs out of his eyes. "I want you to at least _try_ to do that, but if you can't I'll carry you out, alright?"

She sighed. "I'll do it, you shouldn't have to carry me. But if I get to be second in command for real from now on, I'm going to kill people that don't put me in the conversations that_ involve _me."

"Thata girl, Kagome. Show them who's boss." He handed her the bomb and smiled toothily, showing off his lovely canine fangs that probably made most people who haven't heard of him think he's a vampire.

Kagome stuffed the bomb into a private pocket in the bag and sighed deeply. It was time to get going, and she was as ready as she would ever be. It looked like Inuyasha was, too. Hell, he was even smiling, although she could tell it was forced.

He ruffled her hair playfully like a little child. "Don't worry, Kagome, I think you'll do fine. Just as long as you listen to me and the monk, you'll do good."

"The monk is lower in the ranks, I shouldn't have to listen to him."  
"He knows technology well, after you learn the ropes you can boss _him_ around." He opened the door and nudged her out so they could join the group gathered around the coffee table on their knees, discussing quietly the plan of the evening.

Inuyasha and Kagome stood above them, both staring intently at the maps that had been laid out. Shippo glanced up at them and smirked. "Inuyasha, there's just one thing that we've changed."

"Well?"

"In order to get into this building without much problem, we need to go in separately. That means gathering from separate ends of the building. The only way to do that correctly would be to ride _separate_ motorcycles so that a small group of us would not be spotted."

Sango broke in. "After riding the motorcycles, Miroku and Kagome will go tend to the power and the rest of us will hide. When the power is taken out, we will kill and destroy all humans in our way."

"After the humans are taken care of and Kagome and I return…" Miroku stood and pointed to a square that represented a room on the graph. "…we'll all meet up in this room and search for Fluffy or Rin, hoping only to hit them apart and not together. Together it will be too hard to dispose of them, so it must be one or the other."

"And we can't guarantee that there's no cameras that will be watching us, but even if there are we won't have time to take care of them. We'll just have to go on without any worries." Kira finished, adding the final touches to her braid as she pulled her hair out of her face.

Inuyasha sighed and glanced at them. "Well, it's good that you know exactly what you're doing, but when you said _separate motorcycles_, you mean that each of us drive a separate one?"

"Kira can't because she doesn't know how, but otherwise we each have our own." Miroku's explanation made Inuyasha nervous.

"Even Kagome?"

"She knows how to, Inuyasha, she did fine when she eluded us that one time."

Kagome smirked. "Oh goodie, I get to ride the BIG machine, daddy!"

"Are you sure you can?" Inuyasha turned to face her full on, watching her carefully for her reaction.

"Of course I can, it's like riding a bike. Once you learn, you never truly forget."

He shook his head and sighed. "Fine, fine…"

"Inuyasha…" Kira stood and crossed her arms, twitching her pointed ears with the sound of Shippo's uncharacteristic snort. "We're all about as ready as we can get tonight, but I think that you know nothing will go exactly as planned. We have to plan on getting hurt, and we have to plan on loosing track of time and everything."

"I know, Kira…"

"I know you _know_, that's clearly plastered on your face. You need to _accept_ that fact before we go anywhere."

He glared at her. "I'm the boss, I should be telling you what to do not vise-versa."

"Well you're the one with the most at risk, here."

Kagome growled, almost inhumanly. "Shut up, Kira, we know that already."

"Very well." She marched away into the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of beer off the counter for one last drink before the mission.

Miroku clapped his hands together in optimism, shrugging carelessly as he stared at Inuyasha. "Well, Inuyasha, I have nothing to do at the moment. We are short three motorcycles, so I volunteer to get one. If I take two people on mine and you take one on yours, we can get three more and bring them back so we can go."

Shippo glanced at Kira while she still browsed in the kitchen. "Meaning since you can't drive one, you'll be waiting here. Can you handle it?"

"Shippo, I am a Kitsune that has spent most of her life alone, what makes you think I can't handle a few moments by myself?"

"Just checking, dear."

She scowled at him, continuing her search for some beer while muttering something about her dating an imbecile.

"Shippo's bigger, Monk, he'll ride with you. As long as Kagome has to ride with someone, she's riding with me, and Sango doesn't get along with you right now so she'll be with me, too."

"Very well, Inuyasha." He didn't sound impressed or disappointed, and Kagome's guess was that they still haven't talked to each other. _Pity…I really hoped they would talk and stop being such sticks in the mud._"Come on, I want to get this over with." Inuyasha slipped his coat on and glanced at his four companions. "Everyone wear coats. We have to watch our ass's tonight over near our club. Chances are people are still looking for us." He opened the door and out he went, leaving it wide open as the rest followed him.

Kagome walked along side Sango and nudged her carefully. "Sango, do you think we're still being searched for?"

"It's been one day completely, they'll still be looking but not nearly as hard. We should be safe for a while."

Kagome watched as her feet kicked a rock in front of her. "Sango…what are you and Miroku arguing about?"

"Kagome, I don't want to talk about it."

"I'm not asking you to tell me, I'm telling you."

"Boy, aren't you starting to take your position seriously…" She rubbed her eyes and glanced ahead, making sure that Miroku was out of earshot. He was talking to Inuyasha as they headed towards the storage sheds, apparently asking him something ridiculous by the look of impatience on his face. "Miroku's the one who did something wrong, I just accidentally said something about it. If we lied, Inuyasha would have known it, so I don't see his problem. He started yelling at me this morning for mentioning it and I informed him that it was just as much his fault as my own. He doesn't believe me, but it's true."

"I think you should talk about it with him."

"I don't think that's possible, our talking sessions make my ears hurt."

"Sango, don't _make_ me make you talk to him. If you two are still fighting when we win, it'll spoil the moment."

Sango shook her head. "I'm not the one who has to do the talking, it's him."

"Inuyasha…"

"Not now, Shippo."

"Inuyasha."  
"NOT now."

"But Inuyasha…"

"FUCK! WHAT!"

"People, over there, if we don't hurry they'll see us and report us."

"Awe shit…everyone break into a jog. Kagome, you can jog, right?"

She scowled and broke into a run, racing in front of everyone else and sticking her tongue out at him on the way. He rolled his eyes and used demon speed to beat them all to the shed, leaning on the correct door and waiting for a few moments before Kagome showed up.

She glared at him upon arrival from the four-block run. "I hate you." She panted, reaching over to help control her breathing.

"Ah, but you proved you could jog."

"I _still_ hate you."

"Inuyasha, open the shed, we need to get moving." Miroku stated upon arriving into the area. Shippo and Sango had been chatting happily while they jogged, making their arrival all the more aggravating to Inuyasha.

"Well, it's good you guys had time to chat, now let's get going and do what we came here to do." He pushed open the door and mounted a motorcycle, scooting up as far as he could while still having control of the bike. "Get on girls, let's go."

Kagome climbed on behind him and Sango behind her, holding on as tightly as possible. Miroku and Shippo got on their bike, and were right behind Inuyasha when he started his up and took off.

Kagome leaned her head against Inuyasha's back, letting the fingers that were holding him around the waist explore the muscles on his chest. She couldn't see it, but he smirked almost arrogantly and purred in response, resisting any urge to let go of the bike and touch her hands. Her smile grew at feeling his purr, and she turned her face more so that her cheek rested on his back.

She really hoped that she could prove herself. Today was the test of all tests. It was either do this, or die…she hoped it wasn't die…

*~*~*^_^*~*~*

"Alright, everyone follow me!" Inuyasha revved his motorcycle and took off, slowly at first so that those who weren't used to riding could get used to it again. Kagome was right behind him, and after the slow start off she managed to get the hang of it. After all, she had only driven a motorcycle once in the past five years, and at that time her own sanity had been questionable. She had thought for certain that she would crash, or so she thought until she rode the bike again. _Hey, maybe I can do this after all…_

The group followed Inuyasha single file, each wearing their own helmet in hopes of not being recognized so easily. Inuyasha tested them to make sure that each of his comrades could hear him. "Oi, can everyone hear me? Speak if you can."

Receiving a "Hai." from each person, Inuyasha nodded once in response. "Ok, listen up. After we pick up Kira, we're going to discuss our plans on the way up. Miroku, you and Kagome will be together for the most part, right?"

"Hai, Inuyasha. In order for her to cut the electricity, I must assist her."

"Good, Kagome, you've never been to Fluffy's club. I want you to follow Miroku when I tell you to, ok?"

"No problem."

"As soon as we get there, if you're missing something you better remember it now because you won't have time to come back for it. I'll give everyone two minutes when we get there to make sure. Is that clear?"

"Crystal." Kagome stated, looking around herself. "What about the case of cops tailing us, Inuyasha?"

"If we catch cops following us, the person who sees them will scream "break" and we'll all take off. I ain't gonna let some stupid cops ruin it for us. This is a once in a lifetime chance, if we screw up this time then Sesshomaru would know what to do next time. We'd have to come up with something else, and I don't want to waste my time doing that."

Miroku cleared his throat routinely. "I have the rest of our club waiting for our return to give us medical aide, Inuyasha. We will no doubt need it after tonight's assignment."

"Yea, yea, Miroku, they don't know what we're doing though, right?"

"Right. I just told them that I would need assistance after a short mission and to be prepared. They're all a little restless cause they haven't been in any good missions for a while."

"They'll get plenty if we make it out ok." Inuyasha turned down the street to the cabin and pulled to a stop out front, waiting briefly as everyone slowed and followed suit.

Kagome surprised herself by stopping without any problems. There was just one thing she wanted to grab before they left…"I shall return, Inuyasha."

"Don't take too long. Remember, two minutes."

Nodding, she ran inside, seeing Kira typing ferociously on her laptop. "Hey! What are you doing on my computer!"

"My apologies, oh wise one, but I wanted to do something very quickly. I haven't meddled in anything of yours." Turning off the laptop, she rose and strapped a belt full of tools and weapons around her slender waist. "I'm ready."

"Go out there, then. I have to grab something." As soon as Kira had left her, Kagome retreated over to the pile of discarded clothing on the floor. Out of Inuyasha's old coat (she guessed he was now wearing one of Miroku's), she pulled out a hand-held device that should allow her to program certain things into the electricity. If she remembered correctly, her father was even the one to help design this baby. 

It would prove very useful.

A voice in her head woke her from her thoughts. _Move it, Kagome, you're running late!_

**I'm coming, Inuyasha, keep your pants on.**

Oh, fine, if you insist. Just hurry your ass out here!

**Hai, my dearest.**

Stuffing the device into her front pocket, Kagome strode out of the home, mentally preparing herself for the experience of a lifetime. It all depended on her and her abilities; the ultimate test on her self-worth. She had to be able to do it without many problems, or it would be the end for all six of them.

Kagome had never been more nervous in her life. She was about to embark upon a journey that would either make or break Inuyasha's gang forever.

*~*~*^_^*~*~*
    
****PLEASE REVIEW! Thanks ^_^


	23. The last man laughing PART 1

****

THANK YOU FOR THE REVIEWS! 

AS PROMISED, TO THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE SENT ME EMAIL ADDRESSES WILL GET YOUR PREVIEW SHORTLY, AND AT THE END OF THE NEXT CHAPTER'S REVIEWS, PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK OF IT. 

To Wolf-I didn't realize that some of you didn't have emails, so I will post for you the preview at the end of the next chapter. I apologize, I'm not a very bright person, after all, and fanfiction.net has prohibited us from using chapters as author's notes and previews or summaries instead of the actual chapters.

Disclaimer-Need I say it?

**Chapter 23-The last man laughing PART 1**

By now Kagome was nearly shaking. The group was heading out in the right direction, all still in a group to discuss everything once again. Kagome was hardly listening, though; she knew what her job was and she hoped that she could do it. She knew she _could_, she just had to because that was the plan.

However, she realized, things never go exactly the way they're planned. Something would most likely throw her off and may even mess everything up.

****

"KAGOME!" Inuyasha screamed into her headphones, making her jump and curse. She steadied herself on the bike and scowled.

"WHAT?"

"You need to pay attention, young lady, or I'll send you to the office."

"Ha, ha, very funny, Inuyasha. Shit, what a time for humor."

He sighed. "_As I was saying_, when you go in I want you to be as sneaky as possible. Miroku will be with you or around you the whole time, and he's going to help you, so you need to listen to him. Understand?"

"Loud and clear." She said blandly.

"Good." He sighed and counted down from ten. "Ok, split up next block. Kagome, follow the monk, and Miroku you watch your business or else."

"Yes sir."

"_Thank_ _you_."

Miroku, who had been in front of Kagome the whole time, signaled left and Kagome followed, still a little wobbly on the bike but nothing that she couldn't handle. Looking back, she saw Inuyasha and the rest of the group, heading in the same path they had been taking and moving closer together. She began to wonder if Sesshomaru's club was half the size of the block, but Inuyasha would have his own way of breaking into the club. She had to worry about herself.

She wondered if there were going to be guards outside of the building that had to be taken care of. That wouldn't be hard at all; just as long as one didn't sneak up on her and the monk while they were trying to sneak in. With the way her adrenaline was running, she was afraid that she would end up screaming her guts out and alerting everyone on the premises that she was there. 

Then it'd be a field day for Sesshomaru because he'd finally catch her and kill her like he had wished.

"Kagome, what's on your mind?" Miroku asked in the microphone, glancing back at her when he should have been watching the road.

Kagome sighed and spoke back. "I'm just thinking carefully about everything that I'm supposed to do. Do you believe there will be guards to avoid?"

"Well probably, we are talking of Sesshomaru here. He's probably got human guards, so take them out with silenced guns."

Kagome nodded, turning her attention back to the road. "Do you think we'll make it?"

He laughed softly. "You don't have very much faith in yourself, Kagome. That's the only way _to_ win. Believe that you can do it, like I am. Or at least be optimistic."

"Monk, when I defeated Kikyo I barely made it out alive."

"Sesshomaru has no Miko immunity, on shot of it and he'll burn."

Kagome snorted, just barely turning down the right road when Miroku did. "Monk, he's so _fast_, he'll avoid any blow I shoot at him. I'm going to start killing people that don't let me in on things that _involve_ me when you're deciding them."

"Well, Kagome, Inuyasha was strict on your rest. Not that I mind or anything, but Kira and Shippo were also insistent on it and wanted to talk behind your backs so we could think for the club for once while the true brains finished healing."

Static came over the headset and Kira's voice rang in their ears. "Monk, don't lie, you're the one who wanted to chat and set up things behind their back. You should probably shut up, too, Inuyasha's in a fairly good mood for this situation and I don't want that spoiled."

"Well we're just the little star of joy tonight, aren't we?"

"Shut up."

Kagome sighed. "Knock it off, I'm nervous enough I don't need to listen to you two."

Miroku nodded, and a stern "Hai Kagome-chan." was heard from Kira. Kagome smirked to herself at her new known power. It seemed that Inuyasha's law had made her fully second in command, and now disobeying her meant disobeying Inuyasha.

Ah, music to her ears. They actually had to _listen_ to her now! She could definitely get used to this.

Miroku blew in the microphone, earning her irritated attention. "Kagome, we're nearing the club. I'm going to pull to a stop and I'll signal to let you know when and where."

"Ok…Inuyasha?"  
There was nothing on the other end, and Kagome felt a ping of fear in her stomach. Miroku pulled over right beside a strange abandoned building, taking and hiding his motorcycle in the very back of the alley. Kagome followed and her eyes hardened at him as she leaned her bike against the wall. "Why didn't he answer? You don't seem worried."

"That merely means that Inuyasha has already gone inside the building. His communication is all based on the radio's in his ears."

"The only radio I have will only enable me to talk to you when I'm messing with cables."

"I didn't forget the radio in your pack. I'm wearing both radios and I will until your finished."

Kagome sighed in relief, walking right along side him as he approached the end of the deserted looking block. Grabbing the corner of the building, he barely peeked out over the edge and Kagome was right behind him. 

"There." Her gaze was forced on a large building, in a sense a warehouse like Inuyasha's, only a very good size. He pointed at Inuyasha and the other figures running along the front of the building, Inuyasha killing the one man standing guard with a hand over his mouth and a knife to his throat, dropping him to the ground in a very quiet manner. They were standing next to a side door, and after Inuyasha leaned his ear against it, they pried it open with a crow bar and surged in, pulling it quietly closed behind them.

Miroku turned back around and pulled two cloths out of his pockets. "Kagome-chan, please turn around."

She did, looking around intently for other people as she did so. Miroku tied one of the clothes around her head, in the bandit form, making sure that it wouldn't budge but it wasn't too tight. 

She faced him when he was done and watched him put his own on in the same manner. "What are these for?" 

"The place that we're going could very well have toxic fumes, but I'm not certain. We will not take any chances." After he finished with his own, he pulled a handgun with a silencer out and checked it for bullets. She caught on quickly and did the same, waiting for his cue to get going as he began searching for an easy path. The minute they left this street corner, their mission would begin.

And now, Kagome was looking at everything in a different light. She was _excited_. She'd get to kill Fluffy, and hopefully Rin, as well. She'd be the main reason that the club had no more enemies, and Inuyasha had already promised her that she would begin living her title to the fullest.

They shouldn't have any problems now with her renewed confidence. Just as long as they stay separated, she wouldn't worry too much about the difficulty level of this new game they were playing.

She had won all of them so far, what was to stop her this time?  


*~*~*^_^*~*~*

Sesshomaru was currently sitting in his office, observing the wine sloshing around in his wineglass as it twisted in his fingers. He had nothing better to do; Rin was out seeking more information on his bastard brother, and the rest of the club was quietly keeping to themselves downstairs. Until Rin came back with news, he was stuck in his office with nothing to do.

He hated it, but couldn't do anything about it.

The silence in the club was eerie and strange, but at this time of the night he didn't doubt it. When the members of his club weren't dealing with objects on the black market, or causing utter havoc on choice places of the city, they usually were sleeping. They wouldn't go back to an apartment, though; they'd nap downstairs in the lounging room/bar so that they were always nearby when Fluffy needed something.

They had been pretty bored lately with his search of Higurashi and Inuyasha. There was nothing for them to do because Sesshomaru couldn't involve any of them in this business. Not this one, anyway, because it only took him and Rin, and the occasional messenger boy to work.

Sesshomaru smirked despite his irritation towards everything that was happening.Inuyasha wouldn't win; whatever he was plotting would not work this time. He was bound and determined to take down Higurashi, and the thoughts of how he could do that came rushing back to his head.

He could picture his large hands wrapping around her fragile throat; claws digging in everywhere they touched skin. But she wasn't a useless, fragile woman in this destructive fantasy; she had knives and other weapons, stabbing him, trying anything to kill him and get him to let her go. Anything but her hands, of course. He didn't imagine that she would be that intelligent and remember that she was a very powerful Miko.

That would be so amusing, however he knew it wouldn't happen that way if he ever _did_ get his hands on her throat.

The dream ended with him strangling her to death, dropping her lifeless form onto the ground. Just to insure of her death (she always had a habit of coming back) he would take out his handgun and shoot her in the head, just once so he could look upon the dead face of his most challenging obstacle yet without too much obstruction or distractions on her.

Upon the death of his mate, Inuyasha would feel the pain of her death in his heart as their mental and physical bond broke. The object of his control would be completely gone; the rope would snap and he would loose his mind. That is, only if her death itself did not force him into shock and kill him, as it sometimes did with demons. No one would be safe from him. It would be the duty of Fluffy to destroy him, and because of his state of mind, he'd be slow and foolish enough for Sesshomaru to finish the job once and for all.

Now, if he could only get Kagome to hold still long enough for her to be caught, then he'd be on a roll…

*~*~*^_^*~*~*

"Sango, come here." Inuyasha stated, bringing her closer to the bend in the wall that he was going to look around. He pointed down the hallway to the door at the end. "I smell them; majority's in there. None of them are demons. We shouldn't have a problem with them once the lights go out."

"You want them taken silently?"

"As quietly as possible. Fluffy will suspect something the minute the lights go out and probably will end up coming down here anyway. We don't want him alerted to this spot quite yet; unless he's going towards Miroku and Kagome, then we'll have to distract him and get him here until they arrive."

Sango inhaled deeply, glancing over at the Kitsunes. Both were about twenty feet away, watching the other main areas of the club for people. They didn't have to be within one foot to hear the instructions; they could hear everything just fine.

Sango went back to Inuyasha, sighing deeply. "How long until Kagome and Miroku cut the power?"

"First they have to get in there, then Kagome has to crawl in the space, then she cuts it. I don't know, ten minutes?"

"We'll be discovered by then, won't we?"

"We won't let anyone squeal. We'll use the same method I used on the guard outside both out here and when the lights are out. It's easier to cut their throats when they can't see what their doing."

A gun cocked and everyone froze. An arrogant male voice came up behind them, everyone turning their heads slowly to the man. "Don't move, Inuyasha. I think someone's finally caught you."

Inuyasha stood up and shook his head, glaring at the one human man behind them. Upon close inspection with his keen eyes and nose, he smirked. This man had nothing on him; it didn't even appear as though he had a phone. The only thing he had was the gun in his hand, and even that wasn't very dangerous looking.

Kira stood, approaching the man slowly and cautiously. The gun turned in the man's hand to pointing at her, but she stood much closer than Inuyasha, unafraid and well aware of it. Her smirk was just as arrogant as his. "Do you not know who you're speaking to? Why don't you put that little toy down?"

"Little toys are better than none at all."

"Really now?"

A fist came into contact with his eye from what seemed like no where, blacking it and forcing his other to close tightly in reaction. Sango, after rubbing her slightly sore wrist, grabbed his shoulders and threw the man to the ground, sitting on him (using one of Kagome's techniques) with her knee in his chest. Her fingers wrapped tightly around the man's throat and squeezed so that any noise he made was just barely a squeak.

She rose her eyebrows at him, squeezing tighter in emphasis. "Now, where's Fluffy dearest?"  
"I…In his office…"

"How bout Rin?"  
"I…I…I don't…know…she's been gone…"

"Where did you come from? Are there more of you?"

When he didn't answer, Inuyasha sighed. "Kill him, idiot, he could be sounding something in his pocket."

Before the man could protest a knife sliced through his jugular vein, killing him instantly. Sango shook her head, almost in disgust, and wiped the knife on his clothing, resheathing it before beginning her overall search.

"Inuyasha, watch my back here. I want to see something." At Inuyasha's grunt, she pulled the man's coat apart and was surprised at all the tools lined up his sides. "Wow…"

Row after row of guns, knives, bombs, monitors, things that didn't even seem to belong in a coat all lining the inside. It was a wonder that this man had only managed to pull out a gun; it seemed that he had ways to contact Fluffy if he wanted to.

"Shit, this guy's like a freaking store. He even beats _you_, Inuyasha, at holding weapons."

"It's for show, then, he doesn't know how to use them." Inuyasha twitched his ears, looking around the room even more urgently than before. After glancing down the main hall across the room, he felt his shoulders relax and his stomach clench instead at the aura's of the people. _Good, they're in…Miroku, you had better take care of her…_

*~*~*^_^*~*~*

Kagome turned sharply around the corner, holding her gun with both hands and near her head so she could see and move, even though her constant blinking wasn't helping. Miroku had gone down the opposite hall, checking for people that could possibly stop them while working on the electricity. Her eyes still burned from the earlier treatment, but she couldn't think about it when somebody could just walk right in and shoot her in the back.

She had more important things to do anyway.

Before they had entered the building, they stood outside the entry door to finish their preparations. He had ended up spraying her down with a substance that made her eyes water from the fumes. It was odorless and colorless, but that fact didn't stop her from groaning in protest of it hitting her eyes. Miroku had to stifle her with his hand to make sure that they weren't heard, mumbling his apologies weakly in return in hopes that she wouldn't tell Inuyasha that he tried to blind her with the scent masker.

Kagome viewed a large room that housed the vent she would crawl in. It was loaded with expensive things; a lounge, just like Inuyasha's only more efficiently made. A large screen television sat in the corner with a large leather couch in front of it. A pool table and bar took up the left side of the room, and a few tables on the right, a large dart game on the wall. Kagome was impressed, but nervous as hell.

The room was _loaded_ with people. What the hell was she supposed to do now? She was the object that Sesshomaru wanted to get his hands on more than anything; she wasn't about to walk right out where the gang members could kill her.

Miroku walked up behind her, catching a glimpse of the people and cursing under his breath. He pulled her back and whispered urgently to her. "Permission to perform a distraction?" 

Kagome widened her eyes at him and then thought about it for a moment. _Ok, I'll play along…_"The distraction involves?"

"I will draw the men away from this area and you quietly climb the vent. Once the bastards are taken care of, I will return to assist you. Until then, you do _nothing_. Do I have your permission?"

She smiled at him. "You're really treating me like the second in command, aren't you?"

"Inuyasha has ordered it so from now on. I'm simply treating you the way I treated Sango in this position. Now YES or NO, ma'am."

"Yes, but wait until I can hide, and don't kill anybody till the light's out."

He nodded and backed away a few steps, watching Kagome find a good hiding place behind a statue in the wall. Once she was truly out of sight to the people coming down the hall, she nodded and Miroku walked to the end of the hallway to start the distraction.

He smiled while he talked, well aware of the fact that each and every man there had to carry weapons. "Well, well, Fluffy's gang is loaded with bastard humans. _Lazy _humans, at that."

"GET HIM QUICK!" One man shouted, and as Miroku took off running down the hall men in the lounge followed at a quick pace, ripping guns out of their pockets even though they wouldn't hit him running like this.

_Good job, monk._ Kagome thought quietly, slipping the silk pads on her hands and knees for better climbing. She pulled large suction cups out of the bag to also help her climb the six feet up and attached the straps to the palms of her hands. Her ear now occupied the radio that Miroku would talk to her with when she was up there, and that was good because she wasn't sure what wires did what. She made sure everything else that wasn't needed was hauled away in her black bag so that she didn't have any problems whatsoever.

Swallowing deeply, she looked around before stepping out from behind the statue. She had to hurry if she wanted to get in without being found. She was as ready as she would ever be.

Dashing quickly to the vent, she pulled out the door and crawled inside the very tight vent. The floor she stepped on was a metal mesh, probably just barely holding her as the warm air blew through it, and she felt very nervous about her movements. However, this was no time to back out. She had to finish what she started.

She reached back through the hole and pulled the door back over the vent. After cursing for almost catching her finger, she pushed the suction cups onto the wall and slowly began her climb up.

It took her three minutes to climb, carefully putting one cup in front of the other and moving slow enough so that she didn't make many obvious noises. With the air blowing, she wasn't worried about her breathing, just as long as she didn't gasp or moan or anything like that. No one should hear her in the vent otherwise, not unless they had their ear against it.

As she reached the top and began crawling forward into the darker vent, Miroku's out of breath voice came onto the radio. "Ok, I lost them. How's it going?"

Kagome spoke quietly, just enough to be heard. "I just finished climbing that stupid vent piece. Do I keep going straight?"

"Hai, go straight until you see a metal box at the end. Your eyesight should be enough light, considering Inuyasha's demon is in you. Tell me when you get to the box, but before you touch it, put on the gloves that I also stuffed into your bag."

She nodded her answer and continued crawling, carefully peering down into rooms when she had to crawl over the cage parts. Not once did she see people in the rooms below her, but that didn't mean there weren't any. She was worried that she'd walk right over Fluffy, and no matter how quiet she was he would catch her. That thought didn't appeal to her one bit.

"Ok, I see it." She said after viewing the box at the end. "Just a second." She stopped and flipped her bag around to the front to pull out her gloves. As she slipped them on, she made her way quietly over to it and pulled it carefully open, viewing what had to be hundreds of wires.

"Good. Is the box open and are your gloves on?"

"Yes."

"Ok, first things first; you have to locate the main system of wires. They are the thickest wires in the box, and judging by a place this big there's probably six or seven of them. Find them and let me know."

Kagome dug through the wires, lifting them around carefully so as to not rip any of them out until she found the seven all bundled up with black electric tape. "Ok, I found them. Now what?"

"Please list the colors."

"Let's see, there's blue, green, yellow, red, another green, orange, and a lighter blue."

He sighed and thought deeply; Kagome could sense it. "Alright, the red is the lighting, and I believe that orange is the camera system. Cut both."

"Can I hotwire the camera system?"

"Do what you want, you're the second. It won't matter anyway, no one will use it when they're killed."

Kagome used the handheld that she picked up from Inuyasha's coat and grabbed the wire clipping at the end. After removing the clippers, she cut the orange wire and attached the clip to one end, turning it on and smirking as it worked. Hitting another button, the screen flashed "ACCESSING SYSTEM" and the loading bar showed her that it was saving. After it was finished, she had all the cameras loaded into the device, and after detaching it from the wires, she took the clippers out again and cut the power.

Miroku smiled as the lights shut off. He could hear the panicking of the men in other rooms as Inuyasha's little group began to eliminate the people one by one. He got back on the radio. "Good job, Kagome, now back out of the system and let's get moving."

"Back out? I can't see a thing, even with my sight."

"Just back straight out, and when you hit the end, I'll help you down."

Kagome did as she was told, closing her eyes because it was pointless having them open. When her feet finally hit the edge, she shivered in fear of nearly falling down it. "Uh, monk? How are you going to help me out of this if you can't even fit in the vent?"

"I can fit, Kagome, I just can't move around." He climbed in and used the spikes on his feet to jab in the sides. He didn't want to touch the bottom because it wasn't very sturdy; both of them on it would probably break it. "Come on, Kagome, I'll help you down. Just gently lower yourself and I'll grab you."

"I hope Inuyasha ate something before we left or he'll eat you alive."

"I'm more worried about getting us out of here, not Inuyasha's sharp tongue at sensing that I had touched you. He has to learn not to be so possessive one of these days, now climb down."

Kagome pushed her suction cups on the side and as carefully as possible lowered her body down the chute. As soon as she had pulled herself off the top, Miroku grabbed her waist. "Let go."

"Drop me and _die_." She pulled the suctions off carefully and grabbed his hands as he lowered her onto the caged floor. After she landed, she feared that she was way too close to him, because Inuyasha would probably strangle him at the scent of him all over her. But all she could do was laugh at that sight, making Miroku stare at her funny.

"Well, I'm going to assume that that joyous sound is at my expense. You can get out now."

Kagome nodded while still laughing softly, pulling herself out of the hole and waiting for Miroku to follow. He ended up grabbing her shoulder because he still couldn't see a thing once he got out. "We have to be careful."

"My eyes are adjusting."

"But our enemies will still be hard to see. We need to hurry and join Inuyasha."

She nodded, quickly moving in the direction off all the noise. Miroku was following closely enough that if Kagome stopped he'd run into her, but he did that so he could see her back and know where she was going. He couldn't see very well in the dark.

Kagome continued quickly, the monk swiftly following her the entire way. The plan was to get going now and find Rin before her and Sesshomaru found them. She could feel that in Miroku's aura. Catching them both at the same time would not be a good thing.

However, as Kagome took a slow step forward, a spinning star of blades flew inches in front of her face and wedged into the wall beside her. Miroku had stopped breathing at the sound and when he nearly collided into her, knowing that if _that_ had hit her, Inuyasha would have his head, no questions asked. He was sure seeing his friend die in such a manner would do wonders for his sanity as well. Well, seeing wasn't the word, but you get the point.

Kagome had frozen herself to that spot, barely even breathing as she registered what had just happened. She slowly turned her head to the strangely pouting face of Rin across the dark room. "Awe, damn, I almost hit you, too…If you had just been a millisecond faster. What's the matter with you, bitch? You're always screwing up everyone's plans!"

Kagome turned full on to face her, almost certain that she had seen a spark of red fill her eyes for an instant. _Call me crazy…but I think Rin's actually enjoying herself. I can SEE emotions…She's like a child…_

Kagome inhaled deeply and directed her voice to Miroku, not taking her attention off of Rin, even in the darkness. "Miroku, go back to the group."

"I'm not leaving you here by yourself, Kagome."

"Do it, monk."

"I can't."

"You can if I fucking tell you to, I'm second in command and you're not, so beat it! There's nothing you can do here."

Shaking his head, Miroku took only one step back. He hated to say it, but Kagome was right, and she scared him in more ways than one. He didn't want to leave her here to die, but he didn't want _her_ to kill _him_ either. It was within her rights to do so if he disobeyed her.

And lately, she had been exercising her rights to the fullest of her capabilities.

He hesitantly nodded once. "I'll go get Inuyasha." He sprinted down the hall as fast as he could in the darkness, following the sound of screaming men to his boss.

Rin called after him. "Don't worry about her, houshi, I'll take care of her." When her attention was turned back to Kagome, the evilest of smirks that the Miko had ever seen happened to send chills down her spine. "Want to play a game, Kagome?"

"With you and Fluffy, it's always about games." For the first time during this mission, Kagome was truly scared. Rin (in all her apparent childishness) was a very dangerous person. She knew for a fact that she was more so than Kikyo. Kikyo was insane and made Kagome nervous…Rin just flat crept her out. Especially now, since her emotions seemed to rise to the surface. She felt like she was arguing with a 10-year-old girl that had a grenade, ready to be thrown.

Rin grinned from ear to ear, and even in the dark Kagome could see her thinking. "Sesshomaru and I love playing games, that's true. I love playing with peoples minds, it makes me happy to see them squirm." She frowned suddenly and glared at Kagome accusingly. "You are here to hurt my mate, aren't you? Why that's uncalled for!"

"Uncalled for? Well _you_ have just satisfied my curiosity of your sanity. Sesshomaru has been trying to kill me from day one, and I don't even know what I did to him."

"We're going to play a game…" Rin started, ignoring the statement as she looked up in thought and began to pace. "This is a game that you should know how to play. It's very simple." She turned facing Kagome like a soldier turning at the 'about face' command. The smile that was no longer alien spread across her features. "We're going to play tag extreme. The first one to die…well…loses."

"That's not a fair game. You have major weapons." Kagome was breathing heavily, her heart pounding in her throat. What was going to happen now? Kagome couldn't see very well, and she got the feeling that there was something _very_ different about Rin other than her sudden emotional outbreak. Putting her finger on it would waste time, but she couldn't help but wonder.

"That would be cheating, Kagome. That is why I have set up some rules of my own. NO weapons. We can kill each other with our bare hands, can't we? Of course for you that means no witchery, or whatever you want to call it."

Kagome swallowed, furrowing her brows in worry. This was not right…Rin had something up her sleeve…something very different about her…

Rin charged unexpectedly, a smirk on her face as she ran at Kagome with alarming speed. Kagome felt she had no choice and turned to run down the halls, hoping to find something that would make it easier to catch her off guard. If Rin wanted to play tag, fine; she'd could run all day. The object apparently was to not get caught, because Rin seemed rather confident in her abilities to kill without weapons.

But Rin was constantly gaining speed…if she continued running Kagome would get tackled.

The threat was right on her heels, so thinking quickly she turned around to face it. There was no point in running when Rin would eventually catch her anyway. Might as well face her with all her energy then out of breath and weak.

The girl smirked and pushed her hand forward, as if to grab Kagome's neck. The Miko nearly squeaked and in automatic reaction shot her hand out to stop her, gripping the hand and pushing back with all her might. The other hands shot up and did the same, and both women braced their feet on the ground as they pushed, trying to force the other one down or away, but neither fully succeeding.

Naturally, Kagome had an advantage. Both her Miko abilities and the demon that Inuyasha had shared with her made her more powerful than imagined. She should easily be winning.

However, Rin was still pushing back with equal force, a calm and collective look on her face as she struggled almost effortlessly. Kagome could see the glint of excitement in her eyes, too, as if she was enjoying herself immensely.

Kagome became faintly aware of an evil cackle as she was pushed back about a foot. Rin's feet never moved from the ground; the only thing shoving her was upper body strength.

Regaining her composure, Kagome spoke up with a very panicky voice. "What _are_ you?"

Rin grinned and raised her eyebrows, almost suggestively. "Have you ever met a human gone demon, Kagome?" Rin's eyes flashed red and in an instant her foot made harsh contact with her stomach, forcing the Miko to her knees. The grip on her hands had tightened, so Kagome didn't fly back. She continued to hold on, even though now she couldn't breathe as she kneeled before the demon.

The grip didn't loosen on her hands, and when Kagome could finally breathe again she glared up at Rin. "Well I bet that was worth it Rin. Changing your human life for a life of immortality. I can understand that, but how could you want to spend it with the ice prince? He's heartless."

"So am I. I don't care about anything other than him."

"That means you're not heartless." Kagome spat, matter of factly. "You're weak." She gripped the hands gripping hers and sparks of Miko energy went flying from their connection. Rin winced and tried to pull her hands back, but Kagome had the grip now. The more pain her stomach gave, the more the power wanted to tear this woman to shreds. 

And the more that Rin's screams would bring out the ice prince himself.

Rin managed to rip one hand back and punched Kagome in the jaw, disabling the Miko abilities as she cried out in pain and released her. After babying her jaw for a moment, Kagome stood again, determined not to go down with just a punch to the face. She had maneuvers to show off, too. Rin, demon or not, wasn't the only one who could punch and kick. 

Kagome pretended to kick upward, watching Rin easily grab her foot as planned. She pushed off with her other foot and kicked Rin in the face with a move that only a few people in self-defense would know. Rin let her go, barely acknowledging the kick and struck forward with her hand, slapping Kagome in the face and listening to the sickening noise with a smirk. "Ah, music to my ears."

Kagome took a step back and aimed, shooting at her with an arrow of Miko energy. Rin, however, pulled a fast one that Kagome just could not believe.

Her hands glowed a bright red, and as the arrow nearly hit her she caught them between her fingers, hurling the arrow straight back at her and piercing her stomach. As Kagome doubled over, holding her stomach tightly while the arrow dissolved into the air, Rin broke out into a sadistic laughter, almost Kikyo like in nature as she threw her head back.

Kagome's eyes glowed and she stared at the floor in disbelief. _How…HOW DID SHE DO THAT! This is not happening…she can't win…I won't LET her!_

As Rin continued laughing, Kagome stood on her feet, ignoring the pains and protests that her body let loose as she powered up her hands. Her hands were glowing like Rin's had been, and she ran at the woman with speed that she didn't think possible even at top condition.

Kagome's hand made contact with Rin's stomach first, waiting until the woman doubled over herself before striking her face. Her blows were more powered, stronger and burning with every strike that she took to Rin's body. Every single one did more damage, and as the rage of nearly being beaten continued to shake through her body her anger powered her Miko energy even more.

Rin stood, almost drowsily, and Kagome charged at her once again, grabbing her around the stomach and forcing her into a room, pushing right through the wooden door. As Rin fell to the floor with Kagome above her, her head made sharp contact with the ground and she glared up at Kagome in hatred as it began to bleed. "You kill my man and dead or alive I'll haunt you for the rest of your days."

"I find that hard to believe…" Kagome stated, panting heavily. "Cause when you die you're just going straight to HELL." Kagome hauled Rin to her feet by her collar and delivered one more powered blow to her face before she fell to the ground unconscious.

Kagome planned on pulling her gun out to finish Rin off, but she could hear Sango screaming for her as they raced back down the halls. She looked around the room, finding a large hope chest conveniently placed beside where Rin had fallen. Bending down, she took Rin's pulse, and at feeling little or none and getting nothing from her aura, she managed to pick her up and stuff her into that chest. She closed it tightly and fell to her knees, finally feeling the affects of her own arrow shot back at her as she leaned against it for support.

Sango and Miroku found her in that room, leaning against the chest in a puddle of blood. Sango bent down next to her panting form. "Kagome, God, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Sango. I'm fine…I just need some bandages. Did one of you bring any?"

Miroku pulled open his own little black bag and handed them to Sango. As Sango lifted the bottom of Kagome's shirt, her thoughts leaked out of her mouth. "So where is Rin?"

"She's dead, don't worry about her. We'll have to worry about a very pissed of Fluffy." She winced as Sango rubbed a gel substance in her wound and had to grip the chest tightly as it was bandaged. 

Miroku looked around carefully with his gun in hand. Inuyasha had been very strict on his orders; find her and bring her back quickly. He still had a few problem humans to deal with, and since Miroku knew where she was he was the one to go after her. Sango wouldn't hear anything of it when she demanded to go as well.

Miroku checked his watch and then watched the door again. "Are you sure you'll be able to continue, Kagome-chan?"

"Miroku, I'm _fine._ If I couldn't continue, I couldn't talk as well as I am right now."

"I suppose, but Inuyasha will throw a fit."

"Yes, well he can shove it for once. I'm going to do my part in this and I will hear nothing else about my condition. After all, we have to worry about Sesshomaru now, not Inuyasha. His mate's dead."

Sango helped her to her feet and Miroku grabbed her other arm when she stumbled. "You're weak, Kagome."

"I used Miko energy; I'm not terribly weak. I saved some for Fluffy dearest."

Sango and Miroku exchanged worried looks as they helped her back to Inuyasha, as if nothing had ever happened between them earlier that day. She managed to walk fine without their help eventually and made their way back into the main room just as Inuyasha was finishing off the last human.

Everyone was covered in wounds and blood, but Inuyasha was covered in more blood than anything or anyone else. He threw the last human down and panted deeply, watching them enter the room. "What…happened?"

Kagome inhaled deeply. "We don't have to worry about Rin anymore. I took care of her."

"BY YOURSELF?" He looked in disbelief, and suddenly appeared shock like he had just now realized her condition. "What happened to you? What did she do to you?"

"She shot me with my own arrow. Don't worry, though, I killed her. She's gone."

Inuyasha embraced her, slowly smiling despite her condition. "I'm glad, though. I knew it would be hard, but you're proving yourself so far. Are you strong enough to continue?"

"Of course I am. I'm not weak." She continued to hug him tightly and viewed the damage done behind him. There were fifty or more people on the ground, and she noticed Kira and Shippo fishing some of the weapons and other things off of them, stuffing them greedily into their own coats like children shopping for dolls.

Kagome giggled and Inuyasha smiled. _At least she's not hurt that badly._ Miroku and Sango smiled too; watching as the Kitsunes picked up a few things and showed them to one another proudly, like digging for buried treasure.

"Well I hope you six are enjoying your last minutes alive, because you will never know the meaning of JOY again." Everyone turned sharply to the sight of Sesshomaru, coming from the same hallway that Rin and Kagome had fought. He clenched and unclenched his fists, effectively popping every knuckle as he did so.

Kagome turned around and glared at him. He had blood down his front, and she suspected that he knew about Rin, and knew exactly who killed her, too.

Fluffy pointed at Kagome, a frown of pure hatred and malice hitting his features. "YOU…YOU will not live to see DAWN, you pathetic excuse for a BITCH!"

Kagome's stomach turned upside down. They broke him…Rin was gone and he had nothing left to live for except for his honor. And it was all because of Kagome.

She shook momentarily. If looks could kill, Fluffy wouldn't have killed her, but cut her into a billion tiny pieces while she still lived, each and every nerve making sure that she felt the pain they were going through.

*~*~*^_^*~*~*

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A/N-Man, that was a long chapter! I'm sorry to say that the next one is my last one, but if enough people enjoy my preview enough then it won't be the last you hear of this story ^_^ I hope people like it, too, because I really want to do the next story. So, like always, REVIEW! PLEASE?


	24. The last man laughing PART 2

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LAST CHAPTER!

Author's note-Plans are, I'm going to probably do the sequel, but I STILL want to know what you guys think. 

AND WOLF-lol, as promised, at the bottom of this chapter is preview to my next story, which I have already named What lies Inside.

One more note-I'm interested in knowing. I found that talking to reviewers on MSN is fun, so if you would like to talk to me, please add me to your list. It's my email address. Thanks

ANOTHER NOTE-Some of you may be surprised by this chapter, and you'll know what I mean. Please don't kill me for it, I had many requests for something similar, and I promise that it will all turn out for the better. ^_^

Disclaimer-For the last time this story, I will not own Inuyasha. -_-'

Chapter 24-The last man laughing PART 2

Sesshomaru had never felt this way before…he had entered the room as quickly as he could when he heard Rin's screaming, but when he got there he found nothing. Not a single thing was left except for blood all over the floor, and even though he looked he suspected that she had been incinerated by Miko energy. He wasn't certain about that, but his brain didn't have time to think about it. He was too busy loosing his mind in rage…

He hadn't been quick enough…

His entire estate was ruined, and everything that he had set out to do had failed…he wanted _Inuyasha_ to be the one with the broken heart and the insanity coursing through him. He wanted _Inuyasha_ to be the one that was seething madly because his mate had fallen. 

But most of all, he wanted _KAGOME_ to be the one that had been killed, not his precious Rin…

But it didn't happen that way…it _never_ went his way…and it infuriated him beyond belief. He was loosing touch with reality every second he thought about it. 

He wanted Higurashi Kagome DEAD!

Inuyasha pushed her behind him. "You need to heal…" He muttered, keeping his attention forward at Sesshomaru. His brother's aura was flaring with emotions that he couldn't identify. It was all directed towards Kagome; he could feel it. She couldn't compete against his fury, not right now, anyway.

Kagome gripped the back of his shirt. "We made it this far, what do we do?"

"You aren't that strong; you've been hurt badly. Gather your energy. I'll mess with him."

"You're going to get killed."

"I have to protect you."

Miroku approached Inuyasha and Kagome carefully, his eyes still adjusting to the darkness. "Inuyasha, please let me try something. It may be your only chance."

"What?"

"My ancestors were monks, therefore they had many remedies for healing. If you can give me some time, I may be able to heal Kagome quicker and she can help you."

Inuyasha glanced over at his brother, who still seemed lost in his own little world. "Very well, but make it quick. And if you end up hurting her by screwing up on some damn spell you're going to regret it for the rest of your life."

"I believe it." He pulled Kagome away from Inuyasha's back and slowly walked her to the back of the room where Sango had laid out a coat for her to lie on.

Sesshomaru's gaze, however, followed her every move. "Higurashi, you're not getting away from me this time."

"You're not going to fight with her, Fluffy, you're fighting with me."

"You bastard imbecile…" Sesshomaru flashed his red eyes at Inuyasha instead, crouching down to begin his assault. His voice, for the most part, remained passive, with only the smallest hint of snap at the edges. "If I have to go through you to defeat that witch then so be it." His hands moved together as if holding a ball, working an electric surge in between them. "You will regret ever meeting her, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha knew he had to be prepared or he wouldn't make it out of this alive. He had sparred and fought with Fluffy in his day, but never to the point of where he was so furious his emotions were causing power to literally leak from him. His brother hid what he was thinking very well behind his features for the most part; to have him loose control of himself would never be a good thing.

However, with his rage blindly leading him into a battle to the death, Inuyasha wasn't sure how to do this safely. There seemed to be no way out without loosing an arm or a leg…or a loved one. 

No, he wouldn't risk anyone else here. This was his fight to win…_his_ battle. Even though his brother seemed focused on slashing through Kagome, he wouldn't let anyone else have anything to do with this.

He had scores to settle with his brother, and had ever since they were really young.

Now for the real challenge…keeping Fluffy's focus on him. His eyes constantly glanced over at his mate, probably to make sure that she wouldn't leave. He had a feeling that Sesshomaru would be in the middle of fighting and then decide that Inuyasha wasn't interesting enough.

Oh, he'd find something all right…

"SO, Sesshomaru, can you finally admit now that Rin wasn't as useful as you thought?"

In response to that, Sesshomaru shot a lightning fast ball of energy at him, missing his brother by a mere inch. "You're in no position to taunt me, Inuyasha. You will only succeed in securing even quicker your mate's painful premature death."

Inuyasha unsheathed the knife in his hair and pointed it almost immaturely at his kin. "I don't take too kindly to threats, she's been through enough with your bitch already and she doesn't need any more from you."

Sango's hand tightened over Kagome's mouth, hoping the cries of pain wouldn't reach her mate's ears as Miroku brushed his hand along the wound in a ritual like manner. "Shh…Kagome-chan, please try to remain quiet." She whispered, glaring at the monk. "This is supposed to _heal_ her?"

"It will only hurt for a second…"

Kagome yipped as he lifted up the bottom half of her shirt and sat up surprisingly quickly, grabbing his hand in a death grip. "You had _better_ heal me before Inuyasha gets himself killed or so help me houshi…"

He gently pushed her back down on the ground and resumed his position above her stomach with a nervous sigh. "Sango, please just stifle her, this will only take a minute."

"Inuyasha has glanced over here, and judging by the look in his eyes I think he wants to kill you."

"It wouldn't be the first time." His smile was gentle when he gazed at the Miko he was trying to heal. "Now this will hurt, and then everything will be fine, ok?"

At Kagome's slow nod, he quickly lowered his hand completely over the wound in a large press, giving off a strange sharp heat that consumed her immediately. She couldn't breathe at first contact from his hand because of the instant pain, and then after a moment all she could feel was a warmth, soothing her. She panted in relief, leaning her head back against Sango's lap and flipping the monk off at his chuckling. "Hmm…my ancestors really knew what they were doing."

Meanwhile, Inuyasha was avoiding literal lightning bolts from his brother's hands, running quickly to avoid them, but managing to keep them away from people he cared about. Despite Sango's attempts, he could hear and feel Kagome's pain, and it distracted him. He had received a burning shock from the bolts that hit his side for the millisecond that he didn't pay attention, and it forced him to ignore Kagome's position to watch his own tail.

_Miroku will DIE, she's in more pain, not less…_He jumped a bolt and sighed with relief when all traces of her pain had disappeared. _Ok, so NOW things have changed. That doesn't change my mind, though…he's going to die._

"Stop running, you bastard." Sesshomaru retracted his hands and stood straight, abruptly disappearing. Inuyasha readied his sword an instant before his brother appeared behind him, managing to stab while being stabbed himself with a sword that he didn't know Sesshomaru possessed.

Both brothers jumped back, stricken painfully with the swords, each now styling interesting wounds to the stomach. Inuyasha just glanced down at it and then back at his brother in a less intense gaze. "I hope that's not the best you can do. That didn't even go through. Paper cuts better than that old rusty thing!"

"I'm just getting started, brother."

"Oh, you called me brother. You must be _really_ angry now…"

When Sesshomaru charged this time, he was oddly fully visible, making for easier striking with his sword. At the blurry figure in front of him, Inuyasha managed a weak grab, pulling his brother closer and attempting to pierce his knife into any vital area that would really affect him.

However, because of his brother's current state of mind, his senses were increased for fighting. The opportunity was spotted and as Inuyasha's hand shot out for a second attempt to pierce him his wrist was caught. Sesshomaru dug his nails deeply into the wrist and stared down harshly at his brother. "Now find your place." He said as coldly as ever.

"You ain't in charge of me and you never were!" His other hand gripped the wrist on his in sheer hope that his brother would let go, but the death grip induced would probably need death itself to be released.

"If I'm not in charge…" He squeezed his fingers, digging his seeping claws of poison deeper into the skin. Inuyasha let out a painful cry and crumpled to one knee, now struggling a lot harder to get his wrist back. "…then why are you kneeling before me?"

Inuyasha kept one eye clenched shut as the other stared up at him. "You bastard…" He seethed. He reached his other hand forward and grabbed his brother's ankle, sending a very similar shock of electricity through him, stunning him upon contact.

He grunted in pain and ripped his hand away, jumping back but landing only on the foot that hadn't been shocked. He panted profoundly, his fists clenching as he balanced easily without the use of that foot because of his natural grace. "You're an insolent little bastard, aren't you?"

"Just because I'm half human doesn't mean I'm not half demon. Daddy dearest didn't forget to give me some of his supernatural abilities, too." Inuyasha watched him for any other signs of change in him. He was acting normal again; his calm stamina seeming to just resurface above any other emotions. It meant that he had gotten control of his anger, and chances are he had a plan devising. He wouldn't show it until he was good and ready, either.  
"Direct contact with my foot…you've disabled it, and I to say the least am surprised that you knew such a maneuver. If your little whore wasn't busy getting paining treatments from that monk, I would guess that she had something to do with it."

"Kagome's NOT a whore, Sesshomaru. Just because you can't stand her doesn't mean anything, no one cares what you think, anyway."

He snorted uncharacteristically, stealing a look in her direction but only receiving the back of the monk and an angry Sango glaring up at him. He slowly turned his head to facing Inuyasha again. "If you think that monk sorcery will help bring her back to full health, you're sadly mistaken. The most it will do is dull the pain." 

Sesshomaru flew straight up, landing carefully on a bar on the second story railing. "And if YOU think that even at full health she will help stop me, you will find out the hard way how painfully mistaken you are. I'm still deciphering what exactly happened to Rin…" His fists formed a ball of electricity and he smirked down at her healing area, a pained look in his eyes the only hint that he had lost anyone. "Whatever she did is NOTHING compared to what I'm about to do to her now." Then like a fastball in a baseball game, Sesshomaru hurled that ball straight towards that area before anyone could stop him.

Miroku had turned around and braced himself for the hit, cursing because his power hadn't finished the job. "I think this is going to hurt…" he mumbled, bracing himself both mentally and physically for something that would kill a normal human.

Sango panicked. "Miroku!"  
"Get Kagome away!" He screamed just as the ball made contact with his hands. Using what little power all true monks had, he was able to hold off the ball momentarily, pushing it back with power as it grew in size and strength.

The ball was gaining on him, literally pushing him back in its force. He was struggling with it, only vaguely hearing Inuyasha's demands of assurance and Sango's cries of panic. The aura of the evil ball told him that it was different than regular electricity; it was explosive. If he couldn't push the ball back soon, it would devour him and explode, most likely killing him and Sango, and perhaps even Kagome.

He felt powered hands on his shoulders and a small chuckling voice along with it. "Miroku, if you knew you couldn't handle it, you're pretty damn brave for trying." Kagome pushed a great deal of power into him in one quick burst, magnifying his own and forcing the ball back tenfold speed at an unsuspecting Fluffy Dearest.

The ball knocked him off the bar with a loud explosion, sending his own shockwaves through his body in painful masses before it resided all together. After that shock, he stood again and glared down at Kagome with the coldest of stares. "Well, well, why didn't I suspect that _you_, little Miko witch, would mess it up for me somehow. You always manage to foil everyone's plans."

"That's what I'm here for." She bit out, watching him wearily as she moved around to the Kira, who was standing opposite of the room from Shippo near the doorway. "Anything else I can screw up while I'm at it?"

"You'd be wise to bite your tongue."

"I don't think you should tell me what's wise and what's not while I'm slowly taking down your club, person by person without any help from _you_. Rin was a cinch to take down because she's just as stupid as her owner." As her eyebrows emphasized "you", she could hear a sigh from Sango and a very loud smack, accompanied by a groan from the monk. He was apparently smacking his forehead at what she had said.

_What. She. Had. Said_…_opps_…

His low snarl told her instantly that she had _said_ the wrong thing. He knew that she defeated Rin; she really didn't need to rub it in. But now that she did, she knew that regretting it was the least of her problems. "Why you defiant…" He screamed in blind fury, letting his intensely red eyes glare down at her as he powered up a different attack from between his fingers, making him even more frightening than ever. "I will NEVER be defeated by some HUMAN BITCH! It's not over until it's over, and by Kami you know for you it's definitely OVER!"

Kagome resisted another absurd comment from leaving her mouth. Hell, if Kagome wasn't afraid of him, she really should have been. She knew that, he knew that, everyone basically threw it at her with looks. Now with all these problems, she wasn't sure what she was anymore.

Inuyasha looked in near disbelief, wanting to shake her senseless, regarding that she _had_ any sense in the first place. "KAGOME!" His tone asked _why_, and Kagome could only look at him and laugh nervously, contemplating Fluffy's next move carefully in her mind.

Sesshomaru's next attack was one that she had only seen in books. A long whip of energy, illuminating from two of his fingers that spun and twirled with every twist of his wrist, bending to his will without any complaint whatsoever.

He threw the whip over his shoulder and behind his back, holding his arm across his body before he would strike. "What I could _feel_ Rin suffering isn't anything compared to the physical pain I will bring upon _you._" With one last harsh stare thrown her way, he immediately straightened (managing to float up and suspend himself in midair) and threw the whip in her direction, quickly in all its blinding fury.

Kagome had to use the only defense she could think of. She pushed power into her lower arms and blocked each strike with them, still receiving quite the sting but nothing too harmful. He continued slashing and she continued blocking, backing up a step every time in the same pattern. 

****

Whip **block** **whip** **block**** Whip** **block** **whip** **block** **Whip** "Owe, son of a…" **Whip** **block**

After fighting without it affecting her very much at all, he pulled it back over his shoulder and grunted in displeasure, raising one cocky (and annoying to Inuyasha) eyebrow at her elegantly. She sighed. _Well, well…Seems Fluffy Dearest is feeling better…_"Are you going to do something about me hitting you, wench, or do I need to take it up a notch?"

Inuyasha had been at awe at what he should do. He thought of many things, all consisting of him taking down Fluffy. Of course in order to do that, he would have to move his feet, and they were basically frozen to the spot. He couldn't believe himself…he was just _standing_ there while Kagome was getting the crap beaten out of her with a stupid whip.

He suddenly felt really stupid, but didn't dare move now. While Sesshomaru was talking to Kagome, perhaps there was a chance that she could hold him off on her own long enough for him to go up and take care of this problem.

Or at least slow him down with a blow.

Speaking of making it on her own…where the hell was everyone else? It seemed that the Kitsunes were working their way to the top of the second story behind Sesshomaru, maybe to make a sneak attack, maybe to get away, who knew? Sango and Miroku seemed to be plotting on their own, whispering and then stealing glances back at the fight, almost guiltily while they wrapped up supplies back into Miroku's bag.

Screw them, they'd attempt their own little attacks, but while Sesshomaru's vision was focused on Kagome he had to get him fully distracted. "What are you waiting for, bastard? WHIP ALREADY!" The sound startled everyone, even Kagome, but she remained as passive as possible. The only reaction was the smirk of the older sibling.

"Have we finally snapped, Inuyasha? Good, now I'm about to show you what it's like to loose the one thing you cared about more than anything in the world."

"You idiot! I've been spending all my time with Kagome worrying that _you_ were going to take her from _me_, so don't feed me that bullshit!"

Sesshomaru snorted, raising both his eyebrows this time. "I don't prefer _bullshit_, but that's apparently what you've been feeding your whore since she got here because that's all that she's been giving back." Before waiting on the explanation, he almost seemed to make the electric-like whip go from low power to high, and his sudden slashes at her were hitting better and much harder, now forcing her back two steps instead of one.

One slash smacked her across the cheek, causing her to both yelp and apply pressure to it with her hand. She immediately regretted that move. Now that she had one hand busy trying to stop the flow of blood from her cheek (which for some reason she couldn't pull her hand away from it), only one was left to defend the rest of her body, and she didn't like it one bit. 

She felt cornered.

Taking one glance over to the area Inuyasha _was_ standing, she quickly reverted her gaze back. Inuyasha was gone, meaning that he was making his way slowly to Sesshomaru, and in a moment of distraction with Fluffy's attention on her, he could possibly make a lethal blow. If it didn't kill him, Kagome knew one thing that would certainly do the trick, if he would hold still long enough.

She would try something that hasn't been tried by a Miko in over 500 years.

Shippo ran to Kira's position on the second story, panting while watching Inuyasha climb the wall behind Sesshomaru to join them. Kira's eyes never left her boss as her boyfriend (or probably more like mate-to-be) approached her cautiously so as not to alert Fluffy dearest to activity behind him. "He's done it; he's finally gone insane."

"He's only doing what he thinks should be done."

"He'll die."

Kira gasped and turned, smacking him firmly across the cheek. "Shippo, I must insist that you SHUT your mouth! Kagome heard you…" She whispered the last part of it, glancing down at a now determined Kagome as she faced them with a stern look on her face.

After flipping them off to end the conversation, she turned back to see why Sesshomaru hadn't used his weapon in a while. She suddenly felt trapped and caught, as if she had been doing something wrong. He was watching her, fully amused, with a very large smirk on his face and everything, gracefully twisting his whip at the end of his arm. _Oh god, he really IS insane…_"Are you quite finished, Higurashi? I must admit, I find it strange that you haven't fought back in the least. You didn't hesitate when you killed my MATE and my ward."

"Huh, Kikyo was your WARD, was she? I figured you two were just in it to destroy me."

"We were, but my vow of protection had made her my ward, despite how much I despised her. I owe you for two counts of murder, over five counts of escaping your punishment from me, and one count for your IMPERTINANT existence."

She snorted, but her look of impatience quickly changed to surprise as she dodged a sudden lightning bolt, protruding from his index finger. The whip must have just disappeared…she had no idea what happened to it. All that mattered now was that the already lethal whip was replaced with an even more lethal bolt of lightning. She was barely keeping her footing, because right after one was shot another was powered up, and she had less than a second between them all to move her ass out of the way.

Miroku and Sango shook their heads, her hands gripping his shoulder tightly as they watched her dodge. "Miroku, why isn't she fighting back?"

"She's got too much to worry about. Besides, I think she plans on saving it."

"SAVING it…Miroku, he's not giving her the chance to sit still for even a moment. There's no way in hell he's going to let her power up a move."

"Can't you see it?" He asked hurriedly, but before he gave her the chance to say anything, he continued on. "I can tell…I'm not sure how or why, but I know that she's thinking about it."

"I feel stupid. We're not doing anything…"

"We can't, not really. This is a magical battle at the moment, until we can harm Sesshomaru with bullets and knives, we're pretty much useless."

Sango puckered her lower lip in thought. "Well that sucks…"

Inuyasha ran up beside Kira and Shippo, looking up a few feet away at Fluffy's back. He was amazed that his two comrades had managed to get so close without him noticing, but apparently he was very busy trying to kill HIS Kagome that he hadn't paid any heed. 

Kira watched him with sudden interest, reflecting on the last shine in his eyes. "What are you going to do?" She whispered.

He pulled the sword out of his back and snorted. "What do you think?" He took a running stride forward and jumped up, bringing the sword down in two harsh slashes across his brother's back and causing him to arch back in sheer pain.

Inuyasha's jump was in midair, therefore as he finished the blow he fell back down to the first story, landing with unusual gracefulness. Sesshomaru was still trying to recover from the large X shaped wound crossing his entire backside, mouth open in what could be called a soundless scream. He barely made a noise when it looked like he should be screaming in agony, both the Kitsunes observing that silently.

Kagome was still sitting on the ground due to tripping on the last bolt, one knee in the air and the other laying straight out in front of her. She watched the cause of Sesshomaru's wound with relief because if he had managed another bolt she'd have been hit, and waited as Inuyasha hit the ground and approached her to help her up.

Moving his eyes skyward, he pulled his mate to her feet with her extended arm. "How's your wound?"

"I can't feel anything, I think the monk might have healed it."

"Well what has my brother induced so far?"

She turned her face enough so that he could see her sharply cut cheek. "That's it."

"That's going to be healed the moment we leave this place."

Kagome smiled hopefully, glancing up at Sesshomaru to see him relaxing a bit more. "_If_ we make it out of here…" However she was relieved that Inuyasha was talking like they weren't in a death battle. He was treating her like the full second in command again, and she was really enjoying herself. If it would be like this forever, she would really be in business.

Of course at the moment, they had an angry Inu Youkai on their hands, and it wouldn't prove very pliable if they didn't pay attention. They had no way of knowing what his next move would be, considering that Fluffy dearest was usually pretty unpredictable.

"Intriguing, Inuyasha…" He snapped, slowly pulling his head back upright and instantly pierced the gang with his trademark glare. The sting in his voice seemed to make the walls shake, even though it was noticeable by all of them that his aura had been profoundly weakened by his injuries. "Intriguing that I have finally been struck by my brother." He slowly pulled his posture to perfect again, looking around himself to locate every member of the group. "Know this, brother; just because you have stricken me does not mean that I will back down. This is a fight to the death; one of us will not leave alive, and his group is going with him."

Inuyasha took three steps away, drawing the attention of his brother along with him and never removing his gaze. He invoked a plan that he rarely used, but he saw the opportunity and decided not to miss it. _Kagome? Set the bomb._

She almost gasped, but settled for her extremely shocked look. **_ARE YOU INSANE? We haven't killed him yet!_**

_Look at him, Kagome, he's weak. I know what I'm doing. Place the bomb and set it over near that heating thing over in the corner. If I keep him distracted enough, you can set the bomb, and that should give you time to do what you're planning to do._

**Eh? What I'm PLANNING to do is dangerous, and will take time.**

I'm giving it to you.

**This makes me nervous, Inuyasha…**

Have I ever given you reason to doubt me? Look, I've never been reckless in my decisions, but this is a life and death situation. You give this bastard an inch and he'll stretch it across the US. We don't have time to mess with him, and you need to do it quick because he wants to focus his gaze on you, not me.

**What if it goes off before we're finished?**

It won't. Do it.

She almost smiled. Inuyasha had been tapping into her mind for quite some time now, or else he wouldn't have known about her plans. She was relieved; he not only liked the idea, he was making her use it. It sounded to her like it was the only way out of this pointless mess.

Kagome sighed deeply, feeling light perspiration form on her face. He…wanted her…to place a bomb that was guaranteed to go off and destroy everything within this block's _radius_? Even if she's able to defeat Sesshomaru using the one thing that she hasn't even attempted before, there's hardly a chance of making it out in time.

Five minutes, perhaps she could do…but three minutes was ludicrous. 

However, Inuyasha was the boss…if he wanted the bomb set, he'd get it. And she'd have to do it now while Sesshomaru wasn't paying as much attention to her. Now, the only time that she may have to do anything at all before he's on her ass again…

She swallowed the lump that had been progressively forming in her throat and slowly backed up towards the system like Inuyasha had asked. She passed the monk and Sango an apologetic glance as she continued to back away, making doubly sure that Fluffy didn't just snap his attention back to her and try to kill her.

Miroku grabbed Sango's arm and stood in front of the area Kagome was going to, just to block it off from eyesight of the Taiyoukai. Both were nearly shaking in their shoes; they knew she was placing the bomb, but neither of them questioned her actions. Judging by the way she was acting a few minutes ago, Inuyasha was _telling_ her to do it. He didn't show off any signs of it, but Kagome was shocked beyond belief, obviously because he had never made her do something so dangerous in all her life.

Kagome bent down near the heater, trusting Miroku and Sango at her back, mumbling her appreciation as she set to work. She pulled the bomb out of her pocket and used the attachments to attach it to the side of the heater, having to stop and wipe her forehead so that the sweat didn't burn her eyes too much. She switched the on button on so that the screen showed a countdown of 3:00. Closing her eyes, she said a little prayer and warned Inuyasha of her flipping the switch, then did so and quickly backed away as it began to count down, second by second.

Kagome ran over to Sango and gripped her shoulder. "I need to hide for a second…" Her eyes were scanning the room for an area that she could remain out of sight. "Quickly."

Inuyasha jumped back again from the blow, more determined than ever to keep Fluffy's attention. "Seems you're getting slow, Fluffy."

"Silence, whelp. An unfair blow to the backside will NOT deter me." Another smack of his whip, that he had happened to pull out again, and Inuyasha was nearly airborne trying to avoid it. It seemed his speed hadn't been affected, but his strength had been. The blows wouldn't hurt if they were to hit him, but he wasn't into a smack from his brother of any kind.

Kagome hid behind the pillar in the room closest to the heater, focusing concentration that she didn't even know she had. The clock was ticking slowly…she had to get it over with and quick.

She focused her hands to make a triangle formation, closing her eyes tightly while her lips began reciting an ancient spell that every Miko knew by heart. "_Fire that dwells deep within, I call upon you to gather strength and energy that is needed for my mission. Enough so that it may aid me, but not enough to harm. I summon the energy to the very bottom of my soul, to be returned if ever asked the same request_." The triangle formation glowed brightly, summoning rare energy from her partners.

Every one of the five partners glowed the color of their aura. Miroku and Sango both glowed a purple, and with the inexperience with their new powers, they stared down at their hands and feet in awe. Inuyasha glowed white, an Inuyoukai color, and the Kitsunes glowed orange (the color of fire). The light was misty, as if it was barely escaping their bodies, or perhaps just barely leaking out. The energy formed into a large ball above its host, and it flew through the air and over to Kagome's current location to join with her in the battle.

Sesshomaru noticed this immediately and was infuriated. "WHERE'S HIGURASHI!" He roared at his new discovery. 

The power stopped all together, and everyone stopped glowing. Inuyasha smirked. "What's the matter, Fluffy, afraid of her? Can't you deal with _me_ on your own first?"

Another fast ball of energy was simply hurled with a side pitch, creating quite the crater in the floor. "I'm not playing games with you, bastard. Where's your little whore?"

Inuyasha just smirked at him as he was once again taken by surprise. Kira and Shippo jumped like Inuyasha, raking their claws down his back in more agonizing slashes that he was now nearly ashamed of missing the clues for. He knew they were there, but didn't anticipate that they would do anything. Especially after that strange spiritual display.

He opened his eyes and glared down at the ground, looking from person to person. First he saw the Kitsunes, just watching him with evil smirks, and then Inuyasha whose look wasn't much better.

However, when he looked at Sango and Miroku, they weren't looking at him. They were looking off to the side, somewhere behind a wall, as if he wasn't there at all.

Sesshomaru could help it. He glanced to the space between the pillar and the wall, and was greeted with a smirking Kagome, and an incredibly powerful arrow launched upon sight, heading straight for him.

He growled, knowing there was no escape with his incredibly slowed body. The Kitsune's tactic had been to merely slow him down even more. He ripped a necklace off his neck and threw it to the ground in an attempt to save it from destruction. 

As he let the chain fall from his fingers, the arrow pierced his heart and exploded in a powerful wave of energy, engulfing him completely in pain.

Then all he saw was darkness.

The gang watched Sesshomaru explode in midair, smiling instead of cheering like they wanted to. Inuyasha just sighed with relief, and then suddenly looked panicked. "AH, SHIT, LET'S GET OUT OF HERE! Kira, Shippo, get the slowpokes, we have seconds left!"

All did as they were told, Inuyasha grabbing Kagome in a quick dash and pushing her up onto his back. "Hold on, woman, and no protesting!"

"Dammit…" She gripped his shoulders and kept her legs wrapped around him, glancing behind her at the people that were mimicking him perfectly. "Well, this is fun…"

"You're _insane_." He bit out, jumping a window and escaping the building. After hitting the ground and running like hell to their bikes, just making it around the corner and the entire building blew to pieces, he pulled Kagome tightly against him as the others made it around the corner and did the same. The ground shook with incredible force around them, cracking buildings dropping large pieces of themselves onto the ground.

Inuyasha leaned against the building, pulling his mate tightly into his arms and holding her head underneath his cheek for protection. He did his best to shield Kagome from most of the falling rubble, and even managed to keep her clean from the dust. He blocked a brick or two, cursing under his breath when they hit him, but he was grateful they hadn't hit her after everything settled.

He sighed deeply, twitching his ears to free them of particles. Miroku sighed, detaching himself carefully from Kira because she had seemingly done the same as Inuyasha due to his lack of demon strength. The monk couldn't get over how strange it was to be carried by a woman in such a manner out of a building. He was sure that thinking about it would earn himself a black eye from Sango, anyway. He laughed nervously and brushed off his robes. "Ahem…Inuyasha, we need to get to our bikes. We're not out of danger yet."

"You're right, monk. The cops are bound to be here in no time. Let's get up to Green Street and take a breather. I think we all need one before going back to the club."

Everyone nodded, except Miroku and Kagome. She hummed while looking around to the area that their bikes were. "Inuyasha, our bikes have been destroyed." She pointed towards two buildings that had toppled over from the blast. "We'll need to ride with you two."

He smirked and gathered his bike along with everyone else. Now down to three, it was Inuyasha and Kagome, Sango and Miroku, and Kira and Shippo in that order from that street to Green. 

Kagome hugged him tightly, never more grateful in her life to be among the living. "I can't believe it, Inuyasha…"

"What can you not believe?" He snorted, glancing back at her and smiling.

"I can't believe we're alive, that's what. Your crazy idea worked."

"You're honestly surprised?"

She shook her head, but grinned even more, never wanting to let him go or let the feeling of wind leave her hair. "Still an arrogant bastard. Just like I mated to."

They hit Green Street a few moments later, pulling into an alley and stopping without getting off. They all basically rested against one another, grateful that they finally had time to breathe. ALL the time in the world, as it would seem.

All of Inuyasha's enemies were gone; as far as he knew, every single one of them had kicked the bucket and were now six feet under. He had no more large problems; he could get back to the old days where he brought up his gang and committed a few normally harmless crimes.

With a new line up in the stands. Kagome was his second, and people were going to know it. As for the others, well, he was still deciding. No need to rush when you had all the time in the world.

He sighed, wiping his forehead free and turning enough on his bike so that he could face his mate. His lips touched hers in a searing kiss, and before he let her go he made it a point to nip her neck. Kagome played with his ears and smirked up at him. "Careful, boy, I've still got wounds to heal."

"Piece of advice to you; don't worry about anything and get yourself so sweaty. Sweat is easily scented by Youkai. Besides, you shouldn't doubt my word."

"I had never done something like that before. I never knew that you were so faithful in me."

"You still could have gotten killed. You damn near did, too…" He found his ears interesting, scratching them with the tip of their claws. He was smiling though, despite his little act. They didn't have anymore problems. The place was blown to smithereens, anyway, so anyone still alive when they had lit the fuse definitely shouldn't be now. Not an inch of wood had been left standing; the only things still intact were pieces of useless junk that even if Inuyasha wanted to he wouldn't have had time to look through before the cops showed up.

He smirked. This would definitely reek of something that he had done, but really now, if the cops had this much trouble with his group all this time how were they going to get him now? It's not like he destroyed anyone important either…well, actually _Kagome_ destroyed the building, and using her power had saved the gang in all their prideful glory…

Come to think of it, Kagome was the one who took care of _all_ his problems…Kikyo, Rin, the finishing of Sesshomaru…the only thing he did himself was take care of Kouga, and even that she could have done herself.

"Stop complaining, Inuyasha. We made it out. We did it."

He laughed truly for the first time in days, showing a joy on his normally scowling face that made her smile almost too cheerfully. "You're right, we made it out just fine." He glanced down at her waist suddenly and sniffed the air. His look became indecisive, looking back up at her and down again, still sniffing, before smiling dangerously (and obviously) fake. "I'll be _right_ back…" He stood off the bike and turned around, heading back towards the other bikes. "Oh Miroku…didn't I tell you when we had that talk that you shouldn't have to come in contact with my _mate_ in _any_ way? Well come here, please, I need to talk to you..." He said sweetly, advancing even more on the already nervous monk. 

Miroku widened his eyes and jumped off his bike, waving at Sango with an equally fake smile while taking slow steps backwards. "Well Sango dear, it's been nice knowing you. I'm about to _die_, so I'm going to leave now." He turned on heal and sped off, Inuyasha screaming and yelling at him while right on his tail, his expression no longer a sight for sore eyes. The things he screamed were something to the affect of "How DARE you touch her! GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE, MONK!" However that only made Miroku run faster, his attempts at explaining all shot to hell while Inuyasha sped up the pace again.

Kira and Sango's gazes met and both broke out into a laugh at the thought of a black and blue monk. Kagome shook her head, the truest of smiles on her face for the first time in a long time. "Some things will never change."

__

We did it…we won…we will never have these problems again.

*~*~*^_^*~*~*

Left in the mess of the now destroyed building, only one thing was still left fully intact. It had survived the explosion and was the only thing that had remained untouched.

The hope chest…the chest that Rin had been shoved inside was the only thing still standing. The chest that, unknown by anyone or anything, still contained life that couldn't wait to be freed from the confinement of the box cage.

With a loud crack the chest seemed to almost explode, pieces of the wood flying across the ruble. The form of Rin gasped loudly for breath, clenching her chest and lying across the ground for much needed air.

Her hands were burnt, her face and limbs sore from the battle, but she was fine. She suffered only the emotional pain caused when her mate had died; her heart seeming to shatter bit by bit every second and clenching in a pain that wouldn't stop for days. If his death hadn't killed her already, it wasn't going to, but that didn't stop the pained knowing tears coming to her eyes. 

The thought that if she had just _destroyed_ Higurashi instead of playing vile games with her, it would have been _Inuyasha_ who lost his mind and Sesshomaru would have won.

It was _her _fault…and yet, she believed it wasn't. There were plenty others to blame for the torturous pain she was going through.

Her fists clenched near her heart as she tried to gain back the loss of air. She made a scowl at the air, picturing Inuyasha and Kagome both burning to ashes and the scowl being the last thing they ever saw as they drowned in each other's agony. _Damn that bitch to hell…_

Kagome may have beaten her at her own game, but Rin didn't loose the war…Rin remembered what Kagome had not. She forgot the most important thing of all when fighting; when destroying a _demon_ enemy if you do not _ensure_ the death then chances are they'll bite you right in the ass later on. That simply meant that Kagome should have shot her in the head, or stabbed her heart or something, just to make sure she was really dead. She was a little too hurried when stuffing her away into a trunk.

When the Miko felt for a pulse on the demon, she felt _little_ to none. Her pulse had been slowed for healing; a simple thing that some demons did when they couldn't be near their mates to do it. Inuyasha apparently never told her that habit of full demons; Higurashi simply didn't feel for it long enough. Rin had never died; she may have been knocked unconscious, but she was fine nonetheless.

However _that_ meant that Sesshomaru died for nothing. He thought he fought to avenge her name, but he didn't. If he hadn't been after Kagome's life in the first place, this would have never happened. If he would have just let the girl be…

She snorted. She had to stop feeling sorry for herself…she knew what she believed... It wasn't Sesshomaru's fault…and it was never really Kagome's fault, either…

It was INUYASHA'S.

If he hadn't been involved in a stupid childish war with his brother from the beginning, all could have been fixed. Sesshomaru _did,_ after all, offer truce at the start, even if only after Kagome had been kidnapped. It was _Inuyasha_ who chose to continue on something completely pointless, something that could have saved Sesshomaru if he had had a heart.

She snorted and laughed at herself firmly and evilly. Who was she to talk about having a heart? She no longer did if she ever had; her reason for it to beat was now dead.

And either way she looked at it, Kagome was part of it. She would avenge him by using _both_ of them, for they took from her something she could never have again. _True _love…

Besides, Inu-youkai mate for life. She couldn't find anyone else even if she wanted to because that was somehow impossible for her now. It was one of the Youkai things that she knew happened, but couldn't tell you how or why.

Just a bunch of Youkai bullshit, as she had once told him…

She decided that she didn't have an insane hatred for Kagome; just a placid hatred. She would never let it get out of hand like Sesshomaru did. She wouldn't spend _all_ her time on it when there were other things to do with her life; she'd just use it when the time came.

Finally, Rin sat up and looked around her at what once was her home. It wasn't even recognizable anymore…when Inuyasha promised to do something, he usually did it, and she knew from now on anything that has to do with him will not be taken lightly. She now had to give that intolerable bastard some credit because she hadn't believed that he'd do it until she saw it for herself.

She sighed, biting her tongue sharply. She was wrong; she knew now why his life was focused on killing Kagome; she fully understood it. She wondered if at times she would end up questioning her sanity when she thought about his last thoughts…his last words to her…that _bitch_ and her comrades disintegrating him with an unfair power that he couldn't even protect himself from…

__

Ok, Rin, no more thinking…you hate that bitch and her mate and that's all there is to it.

Deciding that her indecisiveness on whether to hate Kagome or not was foolish, she let the matter drop. It didn't matter anyway; she was how Sesshomaru died and so therefore she and Inuyasha would pay the price.

On the ground near her feet, on what was probably the only piece of bare ground on the block, was the crescent moon necklace that Sesshomaru wore scarcely around his neck. Observing the areas around it, she came to the conclusion that that was the only thing left of him. Her only proof that he once existed…

She picked it up and held it tightly, standing to scream at the air before her anger caused her to have even bigger problems. "I'LL GET YOU FOR THIS! DO YOU HEAR ME? I'LL MAKE YOUR LIVES LIVING HELL FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE TO HIM!" After inhaling and releasing a sharp sob, she turned her gaze to the police cars coming down the streets. Without another word, she ran from the sight, unsure of where she would go or what she would do.

All she knew is, Inuyasha and Kagome would not get away with this…she would see to their misery _personally_, if it took her the rest of her unnatural and miserable life. They would _pay_ for what they did to her…their insolence and disrespect for everything that Sesshomaru _was_ would not be ignored forever…

If there were ever a more vulgar meaning to the word _hatred_, she would show it to them. She was going to rip their heads right off their shoulders like Fluffy had often fantasized in the dreams that had once transpired to her in his scarce sleep.

Revenge…revenge was in the making, and it would come to the couple one way or another.

She guaranteed it…

****

THE END 

(HEHE, time for the sequel…)

PREVIEW!!!!!! 

As promised to all my reviewers that wished it, I have a preview of the next story. I have some of this story written, so if you like it, please let me know. 

Also, this was just a small section that I took out of my story to torture my readers into wondering what it's about. Evil of me, I know, but if it sounds good I am really curious to know.

Well, here's the deal…you read this, and in your review of my final chapter, I want you to say whether or not I should do the story. And of course, what you thought of the first one. I could go a long way with this one, though, but it's up to all my wonderful reviewers to tell me so.

This particular part that I have picked out for you doesn't have as much action as other parts of the story, too. Just so you know, I really enjoyed writing it.

PLEASE, I REPEAT, PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU WANT ME TO CONTINUE IT!

(PS-The story's name is What Lies Within. It fits the story…trust me)

*~*^_^*~*

She stared at him, eyes wide with an emotion that she couldn't identify. Whether it was fear, shock, or utter disbelief, she just knew that she didn't like it. What could she do but sit there and stare dumbly at him, the warning of Inuyasha flying through her mind. "_No matter how much you want to, no matter what they say to you, even if they hit you, do _not_ fight them. Do NOT, I repeat, DO NOT disagree with them, or there'll be too much shit to deal with."_

But Kia found herself wanting to do just that. She wanted to smack that amused look right off this bastard's face. His proposal was both demeaning and insulting; he thought she would bend over backwards for him and become a prosecutor's mate, just to be controlled and forced to bear any children that he wished to have?

She didn't bend for _anyone_.

Instead of giving him the answer he wanted she just stared Hatsu straight in the eyes and did nothing. She knew the moment she opened her mouth something that she couldn't afford escaping would plummet out like a booming speaker. It would anger him and complicate things for her family even more than they already were.

Hatsu smirked, turning completely in his brilliantly red cloak to gaze at himself in the mirror. "What holds you back, Kia? You are a bitch with a mission in life, ne? Join me and you won't have to worry about it anymore. I will give you an ultimate purpose."

Kia growled lowly in her throat, flexing her claws in sure habit. She nearly bit her tongue like her mother taught her for saying the one word that could anger him more than anything. "No."

He turned around again, clearly startled and angry, even though he strained to keep it hidden. "No? _NO?_ You have no _choice,_ little girl. It is my decision to make you mine, willingly or not. It's your _duty_ in life."

"Where's your honor? I declined your invitation and I refuse to hear another word of it, so shut the hell up and leave my home." She looked away, thinking seriously about leaving. _Hmm…I wonder if dad would kill me for killing him with Miko energy…no trace of him would be left, so the council couldn't prove that I killed him..._

However, the demon was quick to grab her upper arm, spinning her around so that her arm twisted in front of her and pulled her back against his chest, all too quickly for her to react and effectively pinning her other arm to his body. His left arm wrapped around her upper chest, a very classy dagger pinned at the junction of her neck and shoulder.

All before she could blink, too...

She tensed, instantly regretting opening her mouth. _Damn you daddy and your smart-ass attitude! I just HAD to inherit that from you! Oh Kami, what do I do now?_

Kia could feel his breath on her cheek and was now filled with a great fear. She knew he could sense it, too, because he inhaled sharply and chuckled. "You're _scared_, Kia. Are you truly scared of me?"

"Of _you_, yes. Of death, no."

Satisfaction glowed in his aura, making him even more frightening. "You told me that _nothing_ scared you."

Kia gulped very lightly so that it wasn't noticeable, noting the way that his clawed thumb on her shoulder lightly rubbed the skin that it touched. _Sick bastard…_"Well then…I guess I lied."

"Your death wouldn't deter me, you know. It would just disappoint me dearly to lose such a fine specimen in our Hanyou world."

She could only growl as his grip tightened on her wrist. 

"Say yes to me. Become mine and I can guarantee that your family will remain safe."

"You lie, I can smell it. You're a disgraceful Hanyou and I hope you rot in hell. If my parents weren't busy doing other things, they'd kill you for talking to me like this."

"Your parents are rather preoccupied with the rest of the group. They're worried for your safety, but they worry for nothing, ne? Surely you can take care of yourself."

Kia closed her eyes, suddenly in concentration. She'd find her mother with her powers and pull the strings that would alert her of her child's problems. They'd be the only ones able to get her out of this mess right now, and even though she hated making her parents do things for her, she couldn't do this alone, apparently.

"What are you doing?" He asked, suddenly sensing a change. His grip began to tighten on her again, and the knife just barely nicked the surface of her shoulder. "What are you doing, bitch?" he demanded again, this time more forcefully.

Kia laughed softly, turning enough to glare up at him. "I'm just making your death wish for you."

*~*^_^*~*

****

I'm evil!

This is a section out of one of the earliest chapters. Who knows? If people decide they like this story as much as they did Turn Of Events, I might even make it really long…

I know this is a very small preview, but I personally like it. If you want the story, vote YES to What Lies Inside! Ja Ne! ^_^

(HATSU-Short for Hatsugoori, which means the first ice of winter)

NOTE-After this chapter, I will no longer be sending previews in the mail. Thanks.

I HOPE YOU LIKED MY STORIES!


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